Tales Of The Prince of Cool Bowties
by boop-oop-ee-doo
Summary: AU. What if Amy and Rory's adopted son, Anthony, was really The Doctor and River's son, whom River chooses to leave with them for his protection? Snippets from his life.
1. The Birth Of The Prince Of Cool Bowties

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

AN: AU. Let's just pretend that River can still visit Amy and Rory, okay? Also my first Who fic, so be gentle.

* * *

It was a very important day for the Doctor. Probably one of the most important days of his long life. Not that he would have known that to begin with. It had started out, for The Doctor at least, as a rather uneventful day. He'd dropped Clara home for a Friend's Wedding she'd wanted to attend, and was wondering what to do with himself for the rest of the day, thinking maybe he'd drop in on Craig, when suddenly, his Wife, his _very _heavily Pregnant, apparently _in Labour _Wife, appeared in the Control Room.

The TARDIS hummed contentedly, as it usually did when River was on board. The Doctor took a few more moments to come to grips with what was happening before him.

"River!"

"Hello, Sweetie" she managed her usual greeting before wincing and clutching at her swollen stomach. She looked around quickly. "Where's Clara?"

"H-Home.."

"Good.

"But.. you're Pregnant!" The Doctor sputtered.

"So you noticed."

"Why are you Pregnant!?"

"Spoilers."

"River!"

"Okay, not really. Just teasing that time. But I really should get to.."

"How did this happen?" He cut her off, beginning to pace nervously.

"Well, Sweetie, at your age you really should know already" River quipped, "But when a Time Lord and a Half-Human Half-Time Lady love each other very much.."

"I know _how_ it happened, River!" The Doctor snapped. "But, well.. _When _did it happen? When are you?"

"The simplest explanation? Exactly Nine Months after you lost my parents."

"Oh. _Oh_.." The Doctor realized, eyes wide.

"I stayed with you for a few days, you needed a lot of comfort, which turned into a lot of.. Ow!" River cried out and almost stumbled, but The Doctor caught her. His expression had softened.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered.

"You haven't exactly been in the best frame of mind recently, have you?"

"No" The Doctor gave a small smile. "I guess not."

"And, a You from some time after now.. Don't worry, no spoilers because that you told me to tell You you so you'd remember to do it.. Told me not to tell you yet then."

"Oh. Well, I was probably right." He pulled River into a kiss, which was, unfortunately, quickly interrupted when River felt another contraction, and then, a few seconds afterwards, her water broke all over the Control room floor. "Oh dear, that means things are moving on quite a bit now, aren't they?"

"Mmhm" River whimpered.

The Doctor frowned. River didn't whimper. Well.. Not in pain, anyway. He knew that childbirth was supposed to hurt, although, being male of course, he had no idea how much. But if it was making River Song, his beautiful, clever, strong River Song, make a sound as small and frail as a whimper, it must have been horrible.

"Do we have a Wheelchair around?" He asked the TARDIS, before reasoning to himself, "Probably, but no time to look for it now. Upsy daisy, Professor Song." He swept River up into his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple, carrying her to whatever passable Delivery Room the TARDIS could provide.

* * *

The Doctor thought River whimpering was bad. But now she was screaming, and that was much, much, worse. Worse still was the fact that he couldn't really do anything about it, having already promised her that he would remain completely focused on delivering their child safely.

Their child. He was about to be a Father again. Now that set off a whole new wave of panic. The Doctor hadn't been a Father in centuries. What were they supposed to do? He couldn't quite remember.. Oh! There's the head!

"I see it's head! What are you supposed to do when you see the head? Um.. Push! That's it! River, you need to push!"

River pushed, and screamed some more, and pushed again.

Then River stopped screaming, but there was a baby boy in The Doctor's hands, and he was screaming instead. The Doctor stared at him for a few seconds, before a small smile spread over the Time Lord's face and he cradled the infant closer to his chest. Of course he knew what to do. This was one of those things you never forget.

"It's a boy!" He told River, grinning.

"A boy?" River panted, exhausted, but smiling.

"A boy!" The Doctor repeated, before returning his attention to said boy, and setting about cutting his umbilical cord, and cleaning gunk away from his nose and mouth, and all those important medical things you were supposed to do. "Hello, baby boy! Very good-looking baby boy you are too, because really, most babies come out looking like.."

"Doctor?"

"Oh, of course, you have to meet your Mummy." He placed the baby in River's arms. "Say 'Hello, Mummy!'"

"Hello" River whispered to her son, though that actually hadn't been what she was trying to draw her husband's attention to. It had turned out for the best though as the still crying baby recognized River's voice, and quieted slightly, comforted by it.

"Cute, isn't he?" The Doctor continued proudly. "One of the cutest babies I've ever seen. Aside from you River, you were an absolutely adorable baby."

"That explains him, then" River smirked, gesturing to the squirming infant in her arms. "Since it obviously didn't come from you."

"Hey!"

"Joking, joking!" River chuckled, before smiling warmly at their son. "He's got your nose, see?"

"And your hair" The Doctor added, pointing. "Look, some of it's already starting to curl!"

"Maybe. Their hair changes a lot. I do wonder though" said River, moving to lay one hand over her Husband's chest and hoping he would take the hint, "If he may have inherited any other important things from his Father.."

It took The Doctor a few seconds to catch on, but when he did, his eyes widened, and he sped away to search through the draws of medical equipment the room had provided, soon pulling out a stethoscope. The Time Lord's hands shook slightly as he slipped in the ear pieces, and moved to listen to his son's chest.

There they were. Two tiny heartbeats. He smiled widely at River, happy tears filling his eyes. On a practical level, The Doctor knew that, really, more tests should have been needed to prove what exactly their son was, and what he was capable of. Then again, this particular incarnation of himself had never been one for practical. In his own two hearts, he already knew.

He wasn't the last Time Lord anymore.

* * *

"Look what we did, River!" The Doctor beamed, almost dancing around the room while he cooed and made funny faces at their newborn son, whom, after cleaning him up properly, he'd swaddled in his Fourth Incarnation's scarf after failing to find an appropriate blanket on such short notice. In his joy, the Doctor had forgotten any previous concerns he may have had. "We made a Time baby! Well, three-quarters a Time Baby anyway. But that's a good thing. No possible future Time Lords will be able to turn their noses up at humans anymore. They'll all have a little bit of human in them. Humans and Time Lords, united forever! And we did that, River! We are so cool." The Doctor's grin widened when his tiny boy gurgled. "You're cool too, but that's your Mother, not a 'Big Milk Thing'." He turned to River, who had been watching them from bed with a somewhat sad expression. "You called Amy that."

River forced a smile.

"Did I?"

"You did." The Doctor handed the baby to his Wife, sitting beside her on the bed. "I think he's hungry."

"Oh." River set about feeding him, trying to push away the painful thought that this may be the only time she would get to do so. "Doctor.."

"I know" He sighed, finishing the upsetting sentence so River wouldn't have to. "He can't really stay with us, can he?"

"If there was anyway.. But it's too dangerous. If the wrong people found out what he is, that he's your son.. well, our son, neither of us are very popular with the forces of evil.."

"I know" The Doctor repeated. "I'd never want to risk what happened to you happening to any other child, least of all our own."

"What should we do?" River whispered.

"I think the best thing" said The Doctor, "Would be to leave him with family."

"That's not fair" said River, knowing exactly who he was referring to. "I'll be able to visit him and you won't."

"Not for a while, no. But it's probably for the best." It hurt his hearts to admit it, but it was true. Until his son grew old enough to learn how to defend himself from the many evils of the Universe, The Doctor needed to keep them as far away from him as possible, which meant keeping his own distance.

"Doctor.."

"Don't argue with me River, not this time. It's what's best for him now. But he's a Time Lord. One day, when he's old enough, we'll find each other again."

"If you're sure" River frowned. It still didn't seem fair to her. Then again, very few things in The Doctor's life, or her own for that matter, could really be called 'fair'.

"Positive."

"Okay then" River sighed and looked down at the baby, now full bellied and drifting off to sleep. Another frown crossed her face. "How are we going to dress him? I can't just dump him on Mum and Dad's doorstep in nothing but this ghastly old scarf of yours."

"Hey, I loved that scarf, that scarf is cool!" The Doctor cried, prompting an eye-roll from his Wife. "Although, I have to admit, you are right about the rest of it. But not to worry, I have just the things.."

* * *

The TARDIS produced the earlier requested wheelchair, in which River, still exhausted from giving birth, sat cradling their scarf-swaddled son while The Doctor pushed her towards one of the many storage cupboards.

"Sweetie, it's a lovely thought but I don't think giving him Baby Time Lord things is a good idea" said River. "He'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"That he would. Luckily, I'm not silly enough to give him those."

"Then what.."

"I do have some lying around though" The Doctor mused, apparently not hearing River's small interruption. "Baby Time Lord things. Actually, most of them are Susan's so they're really baby Time Lady things.. I have told you about Susan, haven't I?"

"Yes.." said River, who was becoming a little confused by this point.

"Good. So, obviously, her things would be completely unsuitable for a boy. But it's a moot point, because he's going to live with humans, so we're giving him Baby Human things."

"Where did you get baby human things?" asked River, confused.

The Doctor sighed sadly, falling silent for a moment as they reached the cupboard.

"They were supposed to be for you."

"What?"

"Baby You" He clarified. "Before Demon's Run, I realized that your Parents weren't really prepared for you. So, in-between calling in all my favors and planning that disastrous rescue attempt, I stopped to pick up a few things. I didn't know if you were a girl or a boy yet then, so there's stuff for both. Can you walk yet?"

"I think so" River nodded.

"Good." The Doctor helped her to her feet, and gently took the baby from her arms. He fussed slightly at leaving his Mother, but calmed as his Father gently rocked him. "Go pick a few things out for him" The Doctor said to River, nodding at the cupboard. "Somewhere in there, you'll know which box when you see it."

"How.."

"You'll know."

* * *

And she did. After a few minutes of searching, River found a large box with pieces of 'It's a girl!' and 'It's a boy!' wrapping paper pasted all over it, and the words 'To Baby Pond, Love from The Doctor' scrawled on the side in huge letters, along with a smiling stick figure drawing of himself, complete with bowtie and fez.

River shook her head, chuckling, as she knelt by the box and looked inside. Just when she thought she couldn't possibly love her Madman with a box more, she found things like this. It was stuffed full of onesies, booties, blankets, bibs, bottles, nappies, and everything a human infant could possibly need, in both pink, blue, and a few other gender-neutral colours. At first she tried to focus on the blue, pushing aside the pink, what should have been hers, the thoughts of what might have been that, in her quieter moments, plagued her more than she'd like to admit. Eventually, though, once she had a stack of the tiny blue garments set aside for her son, River couldn't help looking through the others.

"Just a little look" She told herself. "What harm can it do?" River held a little dress up in front of her face. "Gosh, was I ever really that small? I couldn't have possibly.." She paused, thinking of her own tiny newborn. "Well, maybe I was." River grew wistful as she imagined her infant self wearing the dress, Rory swinging her in the air, Amy playing with her like she was a little doll.. They would have been fun parents.

Next, she drew a small pink Teddy Bear from the box. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, and she had no idea why. Until she remembered. River had never had a Teddy Bear. Not her own, anyway. Mel's Teddy was a worn old hand-me-down that had belonged to many a foster child before her. This bear was hers. Only hers. River hugged the toy to her chest. She was happy with the way her life had eventually turned out, but that didn't mean that she couldn't, sometimes, take a few moments to mourn for what she'd lost. And, even though it had to be done, was the only way to ensure her child's safety.. What she was going to lose.

* * *

"So, Son, it's just you and me.. Wow, Son! Never thought I'd be saying that again. I like it though. Son. I have a son."

The Baby emitted a stream of (To most people) unintelligible babble. The Doctor beamed.

"It is cool, isn't it? Bowties are cool. Glad somebody finally agrees with me." He fell silent for a moment, pacing back and forth in front of the cupboard. "I have some important things to tell you, okay? Very important things, so listen good. Your Mother and I go on a lot of dangerous adventures. Sometimes together, sometimes not. But always dangerous. Much too dangerous for a child. If anything were to happen to you, we'd never forgive ourselves. So, we're going to have to send you away for a little while."

The newborn Time Lord whimpered, waving his tiny arms in protest.

"Oh no, don't cry, little one. It won't be for long. Not for us. We're Time Lords, You and Me." The Doctor rocked the baby gently, kissing his forehead to soothe him, before continuing. "Earth, where you're going, is one of my favorite Planets. The Humans who live there.. You're part Human, you know.. are my favorite species. They make wonderful travelling companions. I traveled with the ones we're sending you to, your Grandparents, Amy and Rory." He paused, shaking his head as he chuckled to himself. "Amelia Pond, a Grandmother. She won't be too happy about that.." The Doctor smiled, allowing himself to get lost in memories for a moment. He could remember The Ponds and smile now. He was glad for that.

His son squirmed in his arms, upset at losing his Father's attention.

"Sorry, where were we? Right, Amy and Rory. Some of the very best humans I know, and I know a lot of great humans. I can think of no better place for you than with them. They can tell you amazing stories about their adventures with me, make sure you always know who I am. But most importantly, they'll love you. They're the only two people in the world who I'm absolutely certain will love you as much as your Mother and I do."

The Baby grizzled, still not entirely happy about the situation, but beginning to accept it. Amy and Rory sounded nice enough.

"Yeah, see, it won't be that bad. Your Mum will visit you all the time. And one day, when you're not so tiny and helpless and vulnerable to all the things out there that want to kill me, I'll come for you, I promise. I'll take you to see the Stars. And so many other wonderful things. You and me, Boyo, exploring Time and Space as Father and Son. It'll be fun, won't it? Your Mother will come to sometimes, if she.." The Doctor felt an uncomfortable twist in his gut. River was a Professor now, meaning her life-ending trip to The Library was bearing down on them a lot faster than he'd like. He shook his head, clearing the unpleasant thoughts. "Well, let's not talk about that." Instead, the now Second-to-last Time Lord just stared at his son, studying him, attempting to memorize every detail of his tiny form before he had to leave.

The door opened behind them, and River cleared her throat.

"Mummy's back! Did you.." The Doctor paused, frowning as he turned. "River, have you been crying?"

"I had a moment" She replied, trying and failing to repress a sniffle. "I'm fine."

"River.."

"Really, I am." She repeated, adjusting the pile of baby clothes in her arms atop which both a pink and blue Teddy Bear were perched. "Like I said, I just had a moment. We all have them occasionally."

"Well.. Alright. You've chosen some things for him?" He nodded towards the Baby.

"Yes. Um.." River seemed almost embarrassed, shy even, as she spoke. This was definitely not normal for River Song, and The Doctor was about to open his mouth and insist she tell him what was wrong, before she finished her sentence. "Can I keep this one?"

The Doctor followed River's gaze to the little pink bear, and he gave her a small smile, realizing exactly what her tears had been for. Careful not to squish their son between them, he reached out to pull her closer, pressing a kiss into the wild golden curls he loved so much.

"You don't have to ask for something that's already yours."

* * *

A while later they had their son, who, to his Father's delight, but Mother's despair, had apparently dubbed himself 'The Prince of Cool Bowties', dressed and ready to go. Then he pooped, so they had to change him, but he was soon ready again. As soon as they had said this, he'd begun to cry at the top of his lungs.

"He really doesn't want to go, does he?"

"No" River sighed, "But it's the only way to.."

"Keep him safe" The Doctor finished. "I know. He does too. We had a talk about it, The Prince and me, so he does know. That doesn't mean he has to like it anymore than we do."

"Mmm." River hugged her baby boy close, savoring the feel of him in her arms. "I should go soon. The longer we leave it, the harder this is going to be for all of us."

"Okay.. Wait, Rory and Amy won't have anything for him to sleep in!"

"Oh. I didn't think of.." River began, before realizing her Husband was already gone. He returned not a minute later with a familiar Gallifreyan cot, setting it on the ground.

"There we go!"

"Sweetie.."

"And another thing!" The Doctor sped off again, returning a little later this time with a rather large envelope. "Official papers. Birth Certificate, Medical Records.."

"Sweetie, are you stalling?" River smirked.

"No! Well, maybe a little.. But he really does need all this stuff!" He waved the envelope. "People might start asking questions if he doesn't."

"Okay."

"All Rory and Amy have to do is fill in a name.. Unless you want to do that?" The Doctor asked.

"No, we'll let them name him" River decided after a moment. "Let them have a part of him that's theirs."

"Alright then" The Doctor nodded, tucking the envelope, and then the baby clothes, blue teddy bear, and his Fourth self's scarf, which he'd decided his son could keep, into the cot. "There, all ready!"

"Not quite" River frowned. "How am I going to carry all that?" The Prince of Cool Bowties seemed to gurgle in agreement, causing a smile to tug at River's lips.

"Uh.. One moment!" The Doctor disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS once again. This time, he returned with a little red wagon, of the sort small children sometimes tugged along behind them. "Ta da!"

"Where on Earth did you get that?"

"Can't remember" The Doctor replied. "Glad I had it though, Wagons are cool. Every child should have a wagon. The Prince can keep this one."

River nodded, handing the baby to The Doctor for a moment so she could punch co-ordinates into her Vortex Manipulator.

"Well, we should really.."

"Hold on!" The Doctor thrust The Prince of Cool Bowties back into River's arms, before rushing off for a fourth time.

"Doctor.." River warned.

"Not stalling! Really, really not stalling!" He yelled back. He soon reappeared, camera in hand, and wrapped one arm around River's waist, holding the camera out in front of them with the other. "We need at least one family portrait, don't we? Everyone say 'Jammy Dodgers!'"

River rolled her eyes, but complied, putting on her brightest smile.

"Jammy Dodgers!"

The Camera flashed.

"There. Now you can go."

"Alright." River shifted her almost-sleeping son into one arm and grabbed the Wagon's handle, before glancing at her full hands. "Sweetie, could you get the button on the Manipulator?"

"Okay" The Doctor reached for it, then paused. He looked at River, at the person she had become despite the odds stacked against her, thought about what she had just given him, and kissed her, before whispering a piece of his own ancient language into her ear.

"Was that.. She gasped.

"My name" The Doctor confirmed. "Don't go telling everyone."

"Never."

"Will you come back here, after?"

"I think I'll have to" River admitted. This was harder for her than she was letting on, but as always, she hid the damage from her Doctor, even if, this time, he probably already knew.

"I'll be waiting" He promised, before stooping to kiss the beginnings of soft blonde curls on his son's scalp. "Goodbye for now, Prince of Cool Bowties. Remember what we talked about, okay? Be a good boy for Amy and Rory." He straightened, and pulled River in for another kiss. "See you soon then?"

"Soon" River nodded.

The Doctor triggered the Vortex Manipulator, letting his Wife and son disappear in a flash of light.

The TARDIS dimmed slightly.

"Hey, don't worry Old Girl" said The Doctor, stroking the console comfortingly. "We'll see him again.."


	2. New Family

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

In another flash of light, River Song appeared in a small Alleyway in the streets of Manhattan, about a block away from the humble little House in which her parents now lived. For them, it had been a few years since they were cruelly ripped away from The Doctor. They were well settled here by now.

Nestled safely in the crook of her arm, her son fussed slightly.

"Shh" She soothed, gently bouncing him. "Shh. It's okay, Little Prince." River may not have liked the 'of Cool Bowties' part of the name her baby boy had apparently chosen for himself, but the 'Prince' part seemed somewhat fitting. "Time travelling this way is a little unpleasant if you haven't gotten used to it. Lucky for you, My dear little boy, you'll probably never have to."

After the baby had calmed, River forced herself to walk, dragging the little red wagon behind her. It was late at night, very late, and the streets were near empty. Good. The less attention River attracted, the better. As she walked, River realized it was just a little cold, which wouldn't have bothered her if she weren't a Mother now, and therefore suddenly more aware of these things. She stopped, pulling out the Doctor's old scarf and wrapping their son in it again, before moving on.

Soon, She reached the Doorsteps of her parent's home, and feeling a lump in her throat, had to force herself to move yet again. The Prince of Cool Bowties had drifted off to sleep. That was good too, River thought. It would make this a little easier on him. She kissed the Newborn Time-Lord's forehead and laid him down gently in his Father's old cot, then carefully lifted it onto the top step. She rummaged around in the envelope full of her son's official papers, and pulled out a smaller envelope labeled 'Ponds', which contained a letter explaining the situation. Though leaving The Prince as a doorstop baby was not an ideal solution, if she actually had to physically hand him over.. Well, River didn't think she could.

She laid the smaller envelope atop the sleeping infant's scarf-swaddled form. She watched him for a while, ensuring she remembered him exactly as he was at this moment. So tiny, and peaceful, and perfect. The harsh reality of the world hadn't broken him yet. River gave her baby boy one more kiss.

"Goodbye, Little Prince" She whispered. "I'll try to visit soon, okay? I love you."

River Song stood and pounded her fist against the door as loudly as she could. Hearing footsteps approach, she ran, wiping tears from her eyes, and hid around a corner to watch.

* * *

A very tired Rory Williams, Amy having kicked him out of bed to investigate, opened the door, bleary eyes gazing into the night.

"Hello?" He called sleepily. "Hello? Is anybody there?" When nobody replied, Rory, chalking it up to a prank, was about to head back inside, until he looked down. And saw a baby. And a wagon full of baby things. And an envelope that seemed to be scribbled on in a familiar Time-Travelling Madman's handwriting. He picked the envelope up, inspecting it closer. _Definitely _his handwriting. "Amy! Amy, come quickly!"

"I swear, Rory" The rather grumpy voice of Amelia Pond echoed through the house as she approached, "If this is _anybody _other than River.." Upon reaching her Husband, Amy froze. "Is that.. That's a baby."

Rory nodded dumbly.

"And.. That's the Doctor's cot, and.." She caught sight of the letter in Rory's hand. "That's his handwriting!" She slapped Rory's arm. "Open it, Stupid Face!"

Rory, finally breaking out of the slight trance he had been in, nodded, tearing open the envelope and starting to read.

"_Hello, Ponds! Hope you're both well._" The letter began, drawing smiles from both of his former companions. Then, in typical Doctor fashion, he jumped straight in without any thought to the consequences. "_This is your Grandson.." _Rory's face paled, and the smile dropped from Amy's face as quickly as it had come.

"Grandson?!" She yelled. "Grandson?! I'm too young to have a Grandson. Oh, I am going to kill River the next time I see her! We talked about this! I said 'Don't make me a Grandmother until I'm at least.."

Unfortunately, Amy's yelling woke the baby boy in the Gallifreyan cot. Once he realized his Mummy wasn't there anymore, he screamed.

And Amy saw him, as if for the first time. She'd known he was there, of course, but now she _really _saw him. Tiny, and helpless, and obviously scared, with a smear of an all too familiar shade of lipstick across his forehead and.. What on Earth was he wrapped in? Whatever words she'd been going to say died in her throat.

"Oh. Oh hey, no." Amy surprised herself with how quickly she swept him into her arms, how natural it felt. But then, a Mother never forgets. "Don't cry, Little Fella. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just.. Do I look like a Grandmother to you? Silly me, I don't suppose you'd know that yet.." She became painfully aware of the chill of the night air, and instinctively hugged the baby closer. "Rory?"

He tore his gaze from the letter, to the infant in his Wife's arms, before finally reaching her eyes.

"Mmm?"

"We should go through the rest of this inside. It's cold out here."

Rory nodded, retrieving the cot, then the Wagon full of baby supplies, and following his wife back into the House.

* * *

From her hiding place, River Song smiled. She knew that she and Amy would have words the next time she visited, but for now, her baby boy was safe, and that was all that really mattered. Once the new Family headed indoors and out of her sight, River re-set the co-ordinates on her Vortex Manipulator, and disappeared.

* * *

"_As you know, River and I get into some sort of life-threatening danger at least every other day. It wouldn't be very responsible to keep him with us._" Rory read, now sitting at the Kitchen table while Amy paced back and forth attempting to sooth their wailing Grandson. "_Since you two are Family, River and I thought it best to leave him with you. He says his name is 'The Prince of Cool Bowties' (I speak Baby, remember), but you should probably choose a human one so nobody thinks he's_ _weird._"_  
_

The Baby's cries faded into whimpers as he adjusted to the new sound of Amy's voice, whispering soothingly to him.

Rory couldn't help smiling at them, forgetting he was only halfway through the letter. Amy was great with babies.

"And?" She turned to look at him expectantly.

Rory blinked in confusion, then remembered.

"Oh right, the letter." He fumbled with it for a moment as he tried to find his place. Amy giggled.

"Rory's a goofball, yes he is!" She cooed.

Rory was about to protest, annoyed, but then the baby made the closest to a happy sound that he had since they'd brought him in, and rather than risk that tentative happiness with any kind of conflict, The Last Centurion dropped it and returned to the task at hand.

"Okay, got it.. _'Now on to the important stuff. __He's three-quarters Time-Lord, has two hearts and all, so DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take him to any Human Doctors. I was killed that way once. Very unpleasant.. Anyway, River can do Medical checks on him when she visits. This last thing is the most important one of all. NO-ONE can know that I am his Father. It would be dangerous for him, and you, if that got out. Do tell him stories about Me. Let him know that he's special, and that one day, when he's ready, The Doctor will come and take him to see the stars. But until then, Dear Ponds, all the Worlds must believe that he is your son. So please, take good care of him for me. There is nothing in the Universe more precious to me now than that little boy. Love always, The Doctor._"

For a good few minutes, all was silent.

"Well.." said Amy eventually, a small smile spreading across her face.

"We were going to adopt soon anyway" said Rory, finishing the thought. "This just.. accelerates things a bit."

"Exactly" Amy grinned. "You wanna hold him, New Daddy?"

Rory nodded, standing to take the baby from his Wife's arms. He fussed a little, but soon settled. Rory had an air about him that just made you believe that everything was going to be okay.

"Hello" Rory felt tears prickling in his eyes as the little boy grasped at his prominent nose. "Damn it, not again." He sniffled. "I wanted to be cool."

"You were never cool, Stupid-Face" Amy teased, hugging him from behind. "So, this Little Time-Lord needs a name."

"Ideas?"

"I've always liked Anthony.."

"Me too.. and Brian, for my Dad."

"Anthony Brian Williams" Amy agreed, smiling. "Perfect."


	3. The First Visit

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

Rory and Amy quickly fell in love with the newly named Anthony Brian Williams. He was just the most perfect little mixture of River and The Doctor. He had the Doctor's nose, The Doctor's goofy smile. His hair grew in blonde curls like River's, and he'd ended up with her blue-grey eyes too, after the original cloudy baby-blue had faded. And once or twice, the Ponds both liked to think they'd seen little bits of themselves in him too.

The tiny Time-Lord definitely had his new Parents wrapped around his little finger.

It was a big responsibility, when Amy thought about it. Raising one of the last Time-Lords. Not that it had been all that different from raising a baby human so far. At least she didn't think it was. She just felt for two little heartbeats instead of one when she crept into his room at night to check on him. And the first couple of nights, she and Rory had been a little over-anxious, sleeping in shifts so one of them was always guarding Anthony, ready to protect him from any Silence or Headless monks or evil ladies with eye-patches that wanted to kidnap or harm him. They had (mostly) gotten over that by now. Anthony was also slightly advanced, having a few little quirks about things that a human newborn wouldn't bother with yet, like only drinking from the bottle with the TARDIS-blue lid, and not being able to sleep without that old scarf of The Doctor's somewhere nearby, which meant he didn't get much nap-time in on the days Amy washed it, and would be cranky in the afternoon as a result. But these were just little things, and since he'd been an almost perfect baby otherwise, they couldn't really complain.

* * *

Three months passed before River's first visit. She would have gone earlier, but, not wanting to confuse her son, she had been waiting until she was sure he'd be fully settled with Amy and Rory, accepted that his home was with them. And even after she was fairly certain he would have, her own uncharacteristic nerves had kept her away for an extra few weeks. Finally, when she decided she couldn't possibly put it off any longer, River found herself on her Parent's doorstep, a bag of knitted baby outfits (apparently, baking wasn't Clara's only hobby, although she'd thought she was knitting for River's 'baby brother'), and other little gifts hooked over one arm. She lifted her free hand to knock.. And very nearly missed being smashed in the face by the door as Rory came rushing out.

"Oh my gosh, River!" He cried, grabbing hold of his daughter's wrist when she looked to be losing her balance. "I'm so sorry, I'm running a little late for work, and.."

"It's fine, really" River waved it off. "You weren't to know I was there."

"Here to visit Anthony? Oh, uh, we named him Anthony."

"A wonderful name too" River smiled.

Rory smiled back, before glancing nervously at his watch.

"I really have to go, can't afford to miss a day of work at the moment.."

"Do you need money?" River frowned, suddenly feeling a little guilty for leaving them with the burden of a child in this particular time period. "Because I can.."

"We manage" Rory squeezed her arm. "We're good, don't worry. Will I see you when.."

"Yes" River replied, not needing to hear the end of his question. "I cleared a few days for this trip."

"Good." He peaked back in the door. "Amy, we have a guest!"

"Come on in, we're in the Kitchen!"

"See you later, then?" said Rory, heading off.

"Later" River nodded. "Bye, Dad."

* * *

River dropped her bag in the hall and walked into the Kitchen to see Amy with a cloth in one hand, scrubbing the bench, and Anthony nestled in the opposite arm. She was surprised how quickly the baby's eyes (Just like her own, River noted) fixed on her, his tiny brow crinkling as he tried to place her. Her breath caught in her throat.

"River!" Amy dropped the cloth when she spotted her, moving to grab her in a one-armed hug, the other still cradling the baby who had not yet taken his eyes off their visitor. "Look Anthony, it's.." she trailed off awkwardly. "Um, what should we have him call you?"

"Just River is fine."

"It's River!" Amy cooed. "You wanna say hi?"

Anthony continued to stare at River, until something clicked in his little head. His eyes lit up and he gave a happy squeal, reaching his tiny arms out towards her.

"I'll take that as a yes, then" said Amy, gently handing him over.

"Hello" said River softly, cuddling him to her chest. He smiled up at her, The Doctor's smile, and her heart swelled. "Well look at you. You're getting so big!"

Watching them together, Amy was reminded for the first time, slightly painfully, that she wasn't really the Mother of the little boy who had become her World.

"It's almost time for his bottle, so if you're okay with him I'll just go and make it up.."

River didn't miss her sudden change in demeanor.

"Amy.." She followed her back to the Kitchen, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.

"Mm.." Amy mumbled, but didn't turn from where she was rinsing a bottle at the sink.

"Mum.." River tried. This time, Amy turned, and River smiled. "You _are _his Mother. As much as I am. More so, seeing as you're raising him. I'm.." she let out a shaky breath. "Really, I'm just like a cool Aunt who shows up with presents now and then."

"Oh, no you're not" Amy sighed, shaking her head. She needed to get over herself. However hard this was for her, it must have been a thousand times harder for River. Being away from her child. She knew how that felt. Amy pulled her daughter into a hug, careful not to squish Anthony between them. "You gave him up to keep him safe. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to make that choice. Any child would be lucky to have a Mother like you."

"You never had a choice" River murmured. She'd always thought she knew what they'd been through, but now, having her own child, she _really _understood.

"No. But if I had, you wouldn't be you, would you?"

Anthony squirmed between them, one hand gripping the front of River's clothes, the other grabbing hold of Amy's. Both women looked down at him, seeing a somewhat annoyed look on his little face.

"I think" River chuckled, "The Little Prince here is trying to tell us that we're being silly, and he loves us both."

"Well, his opinion is the only one that really matters isn't it?" Amy grinned. "It really is time for his bottle, though" she added a few moments later, prying away Anthony's tiny fist and turning back to the sink, this time to fill the kettle. "Would you like tea, River?"

"Love some."

* * *

"You're still in trouble, you know" said Amy not long after, sipping her tea.

"Hmm?" River looked up from feeding Anthony his bottle. "What for?"

"You know exactly what for" Amy nodded at the baby in her daughter's arms.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Mother" River smirked.

"Don't play innocent with me, Melody Pond" Amy warned. "You made me a Grandmother!"

"That's _one _way to look at it" River smirked.

"How else could I look at it?" Amy asked, sounding confused.

"You could say I gave you another chance to be a Mother like you never got to be with me."

"Well yeah, but.. Hey!" Amy pointed at her accusingly. "You're trying to throw me off with your super smart Time-Lord logic!"

"There's nothing 'Time-Lord' about it" said River, setting aside the now empty baby bottle. "Do you want to burp him, or.."

"No you can do it." Amy rushed back to the kitchen to grab a clean cloth. "Here, put this over your shoulder in case.. Oi!"

"What?"

"You distracted me again!"

"All I did was ask if I should burp the baby!"

Said Baby giggled, finding the antics of both his Mother-figures to be very funny.

"Don't you start!" Amy frowned, waggling a finger at him as she sat back down.

River settled Anthony over her shoulder, patting his back.

"We.. We just weren't thinking at the time. That's all."

"Doctor couldn't keep it in his pants, huh?" While a seemingly inappropriate turn for a Mother-Daughter conversation, Amy reasoned that River, as Mels, had been her best friend first. And they had both decided a while ago there was no reason she couldn't be both. How many Mothers wanted that, for their daughter to be their best friend? Amy's really was.

"Oh, Mother" River sighed, a small, sad smile crossing her face. Anthony burped, but he seemed happy where he was, so she left him at her shoulder. "You should know by now that nothing with him is ever that simple. It's been a few years for you. But.." she was distracted when her son suddenly squealed and kicked his little legs excitedly. She had no idea what he was so happy about, until she noticed one of his tiny hands splayed over her chest. "Oh, yes" she smiled, kissing his little blonde curls. "Two hearts, just like you. Such a clever boy to notice, yes you are! Yes you.."**  
**

Amy giggled.

"What's so funny?" River frowned.

"It's just weird seeing you baby-talk like that. You were _terrible _with little kids as Mels."

"Oh come on, I wasn't that bad. I babysat a few times.."

"Mmhm. And how did that usually end?"

"Fairly well."

"Really?" Amy raised an eyebrow. "What about the time you let little Danny Albertson watch 'Child's Play'?"

"He begged me to!"

"He was five! His Mother said he didn't sleep for weeks afterwards!"

"Everybody makes mistakes" River shrugged. "Anyway, what about you, Amy? Rory's cousin fell out of a tree on your watch!"

"Well, yeah, but.. Uh.. Oh okay, we were both bad Babysitters" Amy huffed.

"We were, weren't we?" River agreed, chuckling. "Lucky Rory could always smooth things over with the Mothers for us."

"Oh yeah" Amy giggled again, "The Mums always loved Rory." They both laughed a little more as they reminisced.

"They weren't our own children, though" River added. "That's what makes the difference."

"Definitely" Amy agreed.

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"Where were we?" asked River after a few minutes, playing with Anthony's tiny fingers.

"Oh..Uh.. That it's been a few years for me and Rory.."

"Since the Angels brought you here" River continued. "But for The Doctor and I, well.." She blushed a little, very out of character for River Song, who could usually chat very easily about her sex life. But that was just it. What she and Her Doctor had shared that night was so much more intimate and beautiful than simple sex. Like the World had fallen away and nothing mattered but them. The Doctor whispering that he loved her more freely than he ever had before..

"River?"

"Oh, uh.." she must have been thinking for longer than she realized.

"For you and The Doctor.." Amy reminded.

"For us, well.. I fell Pregnant with Anthony the night we lost you."

"Oh. Oh, really?"

"Yes. I looked after The Doctor, like you asked. I gave him the kind of comfort that he needed at the time, I wasn't thinking about anything else." River smiled as Anthony laid his little hand on her cheek. "And I'm glad I didn't. Because even though I was on edge for nine months worrying about having to be careful when I'd usually jump into danger without a second thought, and get horrible cravings for fish fingers and custard, and it hurt so much knowing from the beginning that I was going to have to leave my baby with you and Rory.. It was always going to be you two, I couldn't have trusted anyone else.. It was worth it, for this little boy."

Amy was quiet. Then she stood and pulled River up for a hug, once again being careful not to squash Anthony.

"We've been through a lot, haven't we Baby Girl?" she whispered.

"More than most" River agreed, shifting Anthony into one arm so she could hug her Mother back properly.

"But we've come through okay, right?" Amy asked.

"I think so."

"Because Pond girls are tough."

"Yes, we are" River smiled. Then Anthony began to fuss and grizzle, making her panic. "What's wrong?"

"It's okay River, relax" said Amy "That's just his.." An unpleasant smell filled the air. "..Poop Face."

"Oh. I see" River's nose wrinkled.

"Come on, Mr. Stinky-pants" Amy chuckled, taking him and heading down the hall. She paused to glance back over her shoulder at River. "Do you want to see his Room?"

* * *

Upon entering the Nursery, River gasped. The walls were beautifully painted in the image of space, full of stars and planets. And one wall, the wall closest to the old Gallifeyan cot in which her son must have still slept, featured a painting of the TARDIS, with The Doctor leaning out of it, hand outstretched, ready to catch River who was flying through the air towards him.

"What do you think?" Amy smiled, having already changed Anthony's Nappy while River had been gazing awe-struck at the walls.

"This is amazing."

"Thanks" said Amy proudly. "It took Rory and I few weeks to finish it.. Don't worry about paint fumes, Anthony slept in our room until it dried properly" she added quickly, to fend off any possible panic from River. "We thought it would be good for him to get comfortable with stars and planets and stuff early, so he's really ready one day when The Doctor comes for him."

"Yes, that is a good idea.." River was still staring at one particular wall.

"Ah" Amy followed her daughter's eyes. "That one is because one of the most important things Anthony needs to know about The Doctor is his relationship with you. One day, when he's allowed to find out that You and The Doctor are his parents, that's the type of thing he'll want to know. And when I think of you two, that moment, when The Doctor was running around frantically punching the co-ordinates into the TARDIS so he could get to you, even though he barely knew you at the time.. is one of the first things I think of. He's always there to catch you."

"He is" River smiled, before looking at Anthony, snuggled safely in Amy's arms. "Thank you, for doing all this for him."

"Only the best for our boy" Amy grinned.

Anthony yawned, then whimpered, obviously trying to fend off sleep.

River didn't think she'd ever seen anything so adorable.

"Is somebody pretending they're not tired?" she laughed.

"Oh no, he knows he's tired" Amy smirked, "He just refuses to sleep without this bloody thing." She grabbed the familiar, brightly colored old scarf out of the cupboard. "There you go, Little Man."

Anthony gave a small sigh of contentment, beginning to drift off as soon as his tiny hand grasped the wool.

It's often said that even the most rough, tough, no-nonsense individuals are turned to mush by their children. Presently, River Song was experiencing that very problem.

"It's the Doctor's, isn't it?" Amy asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" River shook her head, tearing her eyes away from her son.

"The scarf. It's The Doctor's" Amy repeated, laying the now sleeping Anthony in his cot. "I'm pretty sure I saw it in the TARDIS wardrobe once."

"Yes. He wrapped Anthony in it when he was born because he didn't have any blankets handy. We found some later, but.."

"The scarf is his Father's. I understand. Must be why he likes it so much.."

* * *

While Anthony slept, River and Amy had another cup of tea, and some Lunch. River talked about her recent adventures, with and without The Doctor. Amy talked about the life she and Rory had built for themselves, which, in an era so much earlier than the one they were born in, had been an adventure in itself.

When Anthony woke an hour or two later, Amy let River fetch him, and she had been playing with him for a while, jiggling a little set of plastic keys (one of the hand-me-downs that were originally meant to be baby Melody's) above his head and giggling as his tiny hands reached out for them, when Rory returned.

"Amy, I'm home!" he called. "Is River still.."

"Here? Yes, Dad" River smiled, relinquishing the toy keys to her baby boy before standing to greet him. "I told you I would be."

"Well, you never can tell with you" He chuckled, giving her a little kiss on the cheek. "Where's Amy?"

"Bathroom."

"Ah." Rory looked down at Anthony, eyes filled with love. "How's my boy?" He reached out to tickle the baby lightly under the chin, making him giggle. "Did you have a nice day playing with River?"

Anthony babbled happily in reply.

"You take him" said River, handing him over to Rory. "Amy told me how you two like to have your 'Man Time' when you get home from work."

"We do" Rory smiled, cuddling the little boy close. "Thank you."

As hard as it could be, Amy and Rory, at least publicly, tried to stick to the social conventions of the time, so as not to draw unwanted attention upon themselves. Meaning Rory, for now at least, acted as the sole breadwinner, and Amy, fighting her independent and rebellious nature, tried to be a perfect little Housewife.

Then Anthony came into their lives, and with him, a value that Rory couldn't even pretend to believe in. That Fathers of the Day were usually hands-off with their children. He worked hard to provide for his family, of course. But that didn't mean he was going to leave the burden of caring for Anthony solely on Amy. When Rory was there, he was _there_, changing nappies, and playing, and looking after him at night when Amy needed a little extra sleep.

River had never expected any different from him. Rory had always been a wonderful Father-figure, even when he didn't know he was one. Come to think of it, he was the only male presence of her 'Mels' years who was really worth anything. Well, him and Grandpa-who-didn't-know-he-was-her-Grandpa Brian, the only adult in Leadworth who'd ever seemed to believe that Mels was more than a simple trouble maker. Rory had to have inherited his infinite patience from somewhere.

She was broken from her thoughts by Anthony's giggles, caused by Rory making funny faces at him.

"Someone loves their Daddy" she chuckled.

"Daddy loves his Anthony.. And his Melody."

An image of a teary eyed man in Roman armor, running down a corridor and whispering that everything was okay now, they were going to find Mummy, flashed through River's mind, and she smiled a small, slightly sad smile.

"Melody loves Daddy too."

"Oh, you're back!" cried Amy as she returned, eyes lighting up, and slipped her arms around Rory's waist from behind, kissing his cheek. "How was work?"

"Alright" Rory replied, tilting his head to kiss her back. "Glad to be home, though."

If River_ had_ had any doubts, which she hadn't really, about whom to give custody of her son, they would have well and truly dissipated. There was no better place for him to be, no better people for him to be with. Amy, Rory, and Anthony looked like a picture-perfect little Family. Speaking of which..

"You three stay right there!" River rushed to fetch something from the bag she'd dropped earlier. "Don't move!"

"Why not?" Amy frowned, confused.

Her question was answered when River returned with a small digital camera.

"The Doctor made me promise to take pictures when I got around to visiting" She explained, raising the camera. "Everybody smile!" River took a few quick snaps. "There we go."

"Hang on!" cried Amy, snatching the camera when her daughter moved to put it away.

"Hang on for what?"

"We need one with you in it" said Rory, sensing his Wife's train of thought.

"Exactly!" Amy grinned. "River, get over here."

"Who's going to take it?" River frowned.

"Me, like this" Amy held the camera out, trying to aim the lens at herself, Rory and Anthony. "Now I'll say it again.. Get over here for the Family Photo young lady!"

"Whatever you say, Mother" River smirked, before doing as she was told.

"Okay, you get in the middle. Rory, give her Anthony" Amy instructed, and Rory did so. "Everyone scooch a little closer, make sure we're all in." She took the picture, looked at it, and frowned. "Nope, cut off Rory's head. We'll have to do it again."

"How did you only cut out _my _head?" cried Rory, annoyed.

"Must have been holding the camera at the wrong angle" said Amy. "Now shut up and smile so I can take another one.." She clicked the button, looked at the photo, and grinned. "Much better." She took Anthony and gave the camera back to River. "You'll need to bring us a copy of that next time."

"Will do" River smiled.

* * *

River spent a few more happy days with Anthony and her parents before heading on her way. She stopped off in the present day to print the photos, then set co-ordinates for the TARDIS.

The Old Girl hummed joyfully as her child appeared on board, and River stroked the wall in greeting. The Doctor was tinkering around under the Console, not yet noticing his Wife's presence. Clara was probably in bed. River glanced around, quickly finding the thing that let her know she'd come to the right Doctor. The now framed photo of the two of them and their son sat on the console. Was fused to it, actually. The TARDIS had apparently decided it didn't want the first photograph of its Grandchild to be smashed in one of their shaky landings. Oh! The TARDIS could be Anthony's Grandmother. Amy would like that.

The Doctor still hadn't noticed her. Well, she'd have to fix that right away.

"Hello, Sweetie."

"River!" The Doctor yelped, jumping up to quickly and smacking his head, and causing some of his tools to fall to the ground with a clatter.

"Silly Boy" She chuckled, that throaty chuckle that never failed to make him blush. "Are you alright.

"Fine" He rubbed his head. "When did you get here?"

"About a minute ago" River grinned. "Guess where I've been?"

The Doctor's eyes lit up.

"You saw The Prince of Cool Bowties? How is he? What does he look like now? How are Amy and Rory? Tell me everything!"

"Slow down, Sweetie. I haven't even had my kiss Hello yet!"

"Oh, sorry" said The Doctor, a little embarrassed. He pulled River in for a kiss. "Hello."

"Hello" River echoed, kissing him again before laying her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you" The Doctor whispered, hugging her closer.

"Missed you too, Sweetie." They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms, until River pulled back slightly, to reach into her bag. "I brought photos."

"You did?" The Doctor grinned.

"You asked me to" said River, pulling out her favorite picture, the one Amy had taken of all of them, first. She handed it to the Doctor and pointed to their son, resting in her arms in the centre. "There he is."

The Doctor's smile spread impossibly wide.

"Ooh! Curls! He's got curls! Didn't I tell you, River? Didn't I tell you he'd have your curls?"

"You did."

"Your eyes too, he's definitely got your eyes."

"They've named him Anthony" said River. "Anthony Brian.."

"Anthony Brian Pond.." The Doctor mused.

"Williams, actually" River corrected him, smirking.

"Still prefer Pond" The Doctor's eyes rested on Amy and Rory's smiling faces. "They look happy. Are they happy, River?"

"Yes."

"Good." He kissed River's forehead, then took her arm to lead her to a more comfortable part of the TARDIS. "Now, tell me more about our son."

"Well, he loves that old scarf of yours."

"Of course he does. That scarf is cool.."


	4. Teething Troubles

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

The Doctor grinned at his creation. It didn't look like much, most people wouldn't give it a second glance, but it had taken a few days work. He'd had to make sure that it was safe, and would do the job he intended for it to do. It had to be perfect, this special gift for his precious little Prince Of Cool Bowties, also known as Anthony Brian Williams. And now, The Doctor was sure, it was. Perfect, that is. He grabbed the object and bolted through the halls of the TARDIS, whooping loudly.

"Doctor?" His sleepy companion poked her head out of her room, looking confused, as he passed by.

"Morning, Clara!" He replied without stopping.

"It's 4.00 AM!"

"Still Morning! Besides, Time doesn't matter in the Vortex!"

She couldn't argue with him there. Still, having become accustomed to The Doctor's quirks over the months she'd been travelling with him, and realizing that it was not her attention he intended to attract, Clara Oswin Oswald yawned and went back to bed, silently wishing luck to the curly-haired woman sleeping a few rooms away.

* * *

The Doctor burst excitedly into the bedroom he shared with River whenever she was on board. He paused for a few moments to watch his Wife sleep. form. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, golden curls splashed across the pillow like a halo. He promptly jumped on her.

"River!" He yelled. "Doctor to River Song! River, River, River, River, River! Wake up!"

As her child slowly began to stir, the TARDIS made a sound almost like a Mother scolding someone for waking the baby. The Doctor ignored it.

"Doctor?" River groaned, yawning as she sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing, nothing at all!" The Doctor bounced a little, causing River to wince slightly as the bulk of his weight still rested on her legs. "The opposite, in fact. Something is right, very, very, right!"

"And what exactly is this 'very, very, right' thing, Sweetie?" River asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"The present I made for The Prince Of Cool Bowties!"

River stiffened.

"Sweetie" she said through clenched teeth, "What time is it?"

"Uh.. in human hours?"

"Yes."

"Clara said it was 4.00 AM" The Doctor replied, oblivious to his Wife's change in mood.

"You woke poor Clara too?"

"Well, that was an accident. I think she went back to bed.."

"Smart girl" River grumbled. "So, Doctor, you mean to tell me that after spending all of yesterday running around rescuing The Ood from being enslaved again, and you've woken me up at this ungodly hour because you want to show me a baby toy?!"

"It's not a toy" said The Doctor, face falling at her reaction. "He needs this."

River softened. She could never stay mad at him for long. Especially not when their son was involved. She looked over at the growing number of photos, taken whenever River visited the baby boy, currently crowding The Doctor's bedside table. He loved that little boy to the ends of the Universe, but lived everyday with the pain of knowing he wouldn't see him again until he was grown. River at least got to visit Anthony. She could put up with a little interrupted sleep now and then if The Doctor wanted to talk about him.

"Okay, what's the present?"

"Oh, it's wonderful!" The Doctor's grin returned, and he bounced again.

"Stop that, you're squishing me!" River scolded.

"Sorry" He said as he shuffled off of his Wife's legs. "So, you remember when I picked you up, a few days before we got that distress call from the Ood, and I told you my gums have been hurting this past week?"

"Yes" said River, confused as to what this had to do with a gift for their son. "But the TARDIS medical scan said you were fine."

"And I am" The Doctor continued. "Nothing wrong with me at all."

"That's debatable" River smirked.

"Hey!" He playfully slapped her knee. "There is seriously nothing wrong with me. After a while, I realized I was feeling Him."

"Who?"

"The Prince of Cool Bowties."

"Anthony?" River frowned. "Feeling him what?"

"About five months old now, isn't he? He's teething."

"And you felt it?"

"Of course I felt it. He's my son" The Doctor replied matter-of-factly.

"Teething" River repeated, a slight lump in her throat. "That's painful for babies, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And more unfortunately, there's not much that could be done about it in the time period he's in. Fortunately, I made him this" The Doctor held out the object in his hand. "A teething ring that always stays cold. The Ood incident distracted me for a bit, but I managed to finish it tonight. Feel it!"

River did so, then instinctively jerked her hand back.

"That is cold. Is it safe?"

"Perfectly safe."

"Okay" River yawned. "I'll take it to him later, after I've had a bit more sleep."

"I shouldn't have woken you" said The Doctor, feeling guilty. "I just got a little overexcited.."

"It's okay Sweetie, really" She took the teething ring from him and set it on the bedside table, then laid back against the pillow and grabbed her Husband's hand, pulling him down beside her. "Lay with me for a while."

"I'm not sleepy.."

"I didn't say you had to sleep.."

"But I thought you were tired..

"I am. I didn't mean _that _either, cheeky boy" said River, snuggling against him as her heavy eyelids drifted shut. "Just lay with me, please? I sleep so much better with you there. Not so many nightmares.."

How could he say no after that?

"Okay" The Doctor wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "I'll stay. I love you."

"Love you too" She mumbled. "My Doctor.."

"My River" He whispered back, kissing her forehead. Within seconds, she was asleep.

As The Doctor watched her, the gentle rise and fall of her chest, felt her two hearts beating in time with his, he, despite his earlier protest, found himself drifting off as well. The Time-Lord was never more at peace than when he held River Song, the woman who married him, child of the TARDIS and his two closest friends, now Mother of his own precious child, in his arms.

* * *

When River did arrive outside The Williams' residence, she could hear Anthony crying straight away, and her hearts ached. She ran up the steps and rapped her fist on the door, being greeted a few minutes later by an extremely exhausted Amy carrying a screaming Anthony.

"Hello, Mother!"

"River!" The redhead's tired eyes brightened slightly at the sight of her daughter, and she stepped aside to let her in. "Come in. Sorry about the mess, I've been really busy with this little guy the last couple of days.. and nights. He's teething, we think, but there's not much we can do about it." They headed further inside and River tried to speak, pulling out the special teething ring, but Amy was babbling on, raising her voice over Anthony's wails, as if trying to apologize, and justify to River why her son was crying. "Mary down the road says to put whiskey on his pacifier, but I don't feel right doing that, so it seems like we're just going to wait it.. what's that in your hand?"

"That is the reason I'm here" River smiled. "A gift from the Doctor.. Teething ring that always stays cold." She offered it to Anthony, who, using his little Time-Lord brain, knew exactly what to do with it, stuffing it into his mouth and emitting a small sigh of relief as it soothed his aching gums.

"Oh, he is a life saver!" cried Amy, feeling a rush of relief herself. "You'll have to thank him for us."

"Will do. Um, not meaning to be rude, Mother, but.. You look like Hell."

"I know" Amy groaned. Her hair was tangled, sticking up in all directions, and lack of sleep had caused dark rings to form under her eyes. "I almost didn't open the door. Lucky it was only you."

"You should go rest" said River, holding out her arms. "I can look after Anthony for a while."

"Well.." said Amy reluctantly.

River was slightly hurt by her Mother's hesitation.

"I'm not going to run away with him.."

"Oh no, River!" Amy cried as she handed Anthony over, realizing how her actions could have been taken the wrong way. "I wasn't thinking that at all, I just don't want to miss your visit. But you're right, I do need some sleep." She nodded at Anthony. "He's due for his nap in about two hours. Come wake me when you get him down, okay? Then we can talk properly."

"I do love our chats" River smiled.

"So do I" said Amy, kissing River's cheek before heading off to her room. "Remember, wake me up!"

"Well, Little Prince, looks like it's just going to be you and me for a while" River grinned at her son once Amy was out of sight, settling down in an armchair. "Would you like that?"

The little boy, still suckling at his new teething ring, snuggled closer to her, gripping her shirt with his free hand and gazing adoringly up at her with his big blue eyes, melting River's hearts just as his Father had earlier.

At times like this, River thought that, just maybe, Anthony remembered exactly who she really was to him. Of course, she would never voice these thoughts. She couldn't, not if she wanted to keep him safe. She wiped the few remaining tears from his face, still blotchy and red from crying.

"Feeling better now?" River asked him. "That's good. River doesn't like it when her Little Prince cries. The Doctor doesn't like it either, that's why he made your special present."

Anthony's eyes lit up at the mention of The Doctor. Amy already told him stories.

"He loves you" River continued. "So much. You're a lucky boy, Anthony, having The Doctor love you."

Anthony briefly removed the teething ring from his mouth to babble and coo for a few moments, trying to tell River, in his own baby way, that he knew he was a lucky boy.

"Do you want to hear a story about him?"

Anthony squealed joyfully in reply.

"I'm going to take that as a yes" River smiled, kissing his blonde curls, which were growing thicker every time she saw him. It looked like The Doctor was right, they would be just like hers. She stood for a moment to retrieve her Diary from her bag, then sat back down, flipping through the pages. "But which one, hm? How about.. Ooh, the Pandorica, that's a good one.."

* * *

Amy woke a little earlier than she'd intended, and crept out to find River pacing the room, cuddling Anthony against her chest as he began to fall asleep. She was singing to him, a lullaby in some ancient or Alien language that Amy had never heard. Whatever it was, it sounded beautiful. She remained in her spot peeking out from behind the door frame, not wanting to interrupt or wake the baby, who had just closed his eyes. When the lullaby was over, River looked straight at her, smirking.

"Hi, Mum."

"How'd you know I was there?" Amy whispered, frowning.

"I saw your hair out the corner of my eye."

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't so bloody ginger.."

"Don't say that!" River gasped in mock-horror. "What would The Doctor think?"

"Oh, he'd be horrified" Amy replied, smiling at the mention of her friend. She still missed him terribly, but had reached a point where the thought of her old Raggedy-Man made her smile more than cry. And now in Anthony, a little piece of him was always with her. "You were singing to him.."

"Gallifreyan Lullaby" River nodded. "The Doctor wants me to teach Anthony a little when he's old enough. Thought that was a nice place to start."

"I had no idea you could sing like that."

"Ah. Well, when your husband forgets his Psychic Paper and sneaks you in to an old Hollywood party by claiming you're the entertainment, you need to back it up somehow."

"Bet there's a good story behind that" Amy smirked.

"There is a _great _story behind that" River grinned. "Just let me put the Little Prince to bed and I'll tell you all about it.."

"Don't forget the scarf!" Amy called after her. "He's got a sixth sense for that thing!"


	5. Not About The Apples

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

"Open up, Anthony!" Amy cooed, waving the spoon in front of the six-month old in the Highchair in front of her. "Here comes the airplane!"

Anthony's lips were clamped tightly shut.

"Here comes the TARDIS?"

He refused to open his mouth.

"Oh, come on!" cried Amy in exasperation. She was beginning to regret all the times she'd told him the story of the first time she'd met The Doctor. "Just because he hates apples doesn't mean you hate apples. This isn't even proper apple, anyway. Just Apple Sauce!"

Anthony wouldn't budge.

Amy groaned. She'd been so excited to give Anthony his first solid food. But then he'd had to go and choose today as the first time he showed off his advanced little Time-Lord brain, apparently remembering every detail of the stories he'd been told about The Doctor, whom he obviously already idolized, and deciding that he wasn't going to eat anything that The Doctor didn't like.

"Look, Mummy likes it!" Amy ate a spoonful herself. "Mmm, yummy!" She offered it to Anthony again. "Sure you don't want to try some?"

No luck.

Amy sighed. She could just try something else, but.. No. No. Being three-quarters Time-Lord meant he already had a leg up on her. If Amy started letting him win now, he'd walk all over her when he was older.

"You listen here, Anthony Brian Williams. If you don't at least try some apple sauce, Mummy is going to get cross. So will you open your mouth, please?"

He clamped it shut tighter, if that was possible.

Stubborn little bugger, Amy thought. He got that from all his parental figures, save Rory.

"No?" she raised an eyebrow. "Fine, we'll just sit here until you do!"

* * *

A short while later, Rory arrived home from work, greeted by the strange sight of his Wife and Son glaring at each other over a small bowl of apple sauce.

"Amy" He said slowly, "What's going on here?"

"He won't eat the damn apple sauce!" Amy cried, pointing accusingly at Anthony.

"So?" Rory was confused. "It's his first solid food, it might take him a while to get used to it. And even then, he won't like everything."

"But he won't even try it, and the only reason why is because he knows The Doctor doesn't like bloody apples!"

"He's six months old, how could he possibly.."

"He's a Time-Lord, Rory!" Amy stood and stepped closer to Rory, while still keeping Anthony and the highchair within reach for safety reasons. She lowered her voice. "We have no idea what goes through that advanced brain of his. For all we know, he could be sitting there thinking 'You're not my real Mum, you can't tell me what to do!'"

"Amy" Rory sighed, "Anthony loves you."

"Does he?"

"Of course he does." He pulled his Wife into a hug, kissing her forehead. "Who does he always want first thing in the Morning?"

"Me" Amy admitted, snuggling deeper into Rory's chest.

"Who is he happiest going to sleep for at night?"

"Me again.."

"When he wakes up screaming for no apparent reason in the middle of the night and we think he must have had a bad dream, who's the only one who can calm him down enough to get him back to sleep?"

"That's me too.."

"And" Rory grinned, catching sight of the little boy over Amy's shoulder, "Who's sitting there looking guilty now because he thinks he's upset his Mummy?"

"Hmm?" Amy turned around. Anthony did look guilty, wearing an expression a lot like the Doctor used to have when she was kidnapped, or injured, or Rory died again on one of their adventures. Then he started crying, and it was Amy's turn to feel guilty for losing her temper with him over something as small as a bowl of apple sauce. "Oh, don't cry Little Man." She lifted him out of the Highchair, holding him close. "Mummy's sorry she was being a big grumpy-pants. You don't have to eat the silly apples if you don't want to."

Anthony still wasn't sure, now caught somewhere between crying and smiling, like River when she was trying to not be upset by something the Doctor had said before he'd known who she was.

"It's okay, really. Mummy's happy now, see?" Amy smiled widely. "And look, Daddy's home!" She handed him over to Rory. "How about you go cuddle with Daddy while Mummy mashes up some banana for you to try instead? Would that be good?"

Anthony grinned.

"Yeah, I thought so."

* * *

The banana went down a lot better than the apples had, as Amy expected. The Doctor had always loved his bananas. Later, after she had bathed Anthony and put him to bed, then set about preparing dinner for herself and Rory, she found her Husband watching her with a slightly concerned expression.

"Okay, what?"

"That wasn't all just about the apples, was it?" He asked. "Because if it was, well.. that's a little crazy."

"You know, I really thought it was to begin with" Amy frowned, abandoning the potato she'd been peeling. "But now.. Not so much."

"Then what was it about?"

"Well, the bigger Anthony gets, the more he's starting to remind me of them. The Doctor, and River" Amy sighed. "And most of the time, I love that. I love that they're always with us in him. But sometimes.."

"It just reminds you that he's not your biological son" Rory finished.

"Yeah.. It's stupid isn't it?"

"No" said Rory. "I understand why you'd feel that way. I do too, occasionally. But then I try to remember that we are still part of him. We're his.." He paused, awkwardly. It was still weird to think of themselves as Grandparents, so he settled on a different phrase. "We're in the mix."

"I suppose that is a good way to think about it" Amy mused.

"Mmhm. Actually, Amy, I see quite a bit of you in him" Rory continued.

"You do?"

"I do. Yesterday, I swear his babbling sounded Scottish. And I know you like to think Anthony's stubbornness comes a little from everyone.."

"I'd be very careful what you say here, Mister" Amy warned.

"Hey, I'm trying to help!" Rory cried. "River is only stubborn when she's almost completely sure she's right. She's surprisingly humble otherwise."

"Gets that from you.." Amy mumbled.

"And The Doctor may have his faults, but he will admit when he's wrong. So really, that stubborn streak comes mostly from.. Eep!"

Poor Rory never got to properly finish his sentence, as Amy had begun chasing him around the House, whipping him with a tea-towel.

* * *

AN: A lot of you have followed this, so thank you. But since this is my first Who fic, a few more reviews would be nice, so I know how I'm doing.


	6. Always Welcome

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

"I said I was sorry!" The Doctor yelped as he, River, and Clara burst into the TARDIS, fleeing from a group of Elizabeth 1's guards. "Honestly, how many times do I have to apologise?!"

"What exactly did you do?" asked Clara, panting.

"Oh, he.."

"River, no!" The Doctor cut her off. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because in this particular regeneration I'm not proud of what I did, and I don't want it spread around."

"Well, I think I deserve to know why a group of Royal Guards just tried to kill me for simply being associated with you" said Clara, crossing her arms.

"She has a point, Sweetie" River smirked.

The Doctor groaned. River Song and Clara Oswin Oswald had clashed a little early on, the two women had absolutely no trouble ganging up on him when it suited them.

"Besides" Clara continued, "It sounds like a good story."

"Oh, it is" River grinned wickedly.

"Tell me" Clara smiled.

"Well.."

Okay, The Doctor thought, asking nicely obviously hadn't worked. So, in a last ditch attempt to keep River quiet, he pulled out a move she had often used on him when he rambled. He kissed Her.

She tried to slap him away at first, annoyed, but then couldn't help melting against him, reaching up to tangle her hands in his hair and deepen the kiss.

"Another time, then" Clara sighed, when they showed no sign of parting anytime soon. This type of thing had happened more than once. "I'll just be, uh, in my room.."

When they finally did break apart, it was only for need of air.

"Not fair" River gasped, lightly smacking her Husband's arm.

"Perfectly fair" The Doctor argued. "You've done that to me hundreds of times."

"I do it to show you a better use for your mouth than rambling" River smirked, making The Doctor blush. "You did it because you don't want anyone to know you took poor old Elizabeth's virtue."

"And for good reason, River. They call her The _Virgin_ Queen! Can you magine what would happen if people found out she wasn't? British History would be rewritten!"

"Alright, Sweetie, you do have a point."

"So, any special plans for Today?"

"I was going to go visit Anthony" River replied. "I haven't seen him for a few weeks, and I've picked up a few little presents for him in my travels."

"Like what?" The Doctor asked, absently twirling one of her curls around his finger.

"Oh, just little things. Stuffed toys, little shirts with slogans like 'Somebody who loves me went to Space Florida'.."

"You went to Space Florida without me?"

"Spoilers, Sweetie."

"Oh." He let the matter drop, knowing this trip, if he was involved, was coming soon for him. Since their son was born, they'd been seeing a lot more of each other, and their timelines had been mostly in sync, give or take a few weeks.

"What about you?" River asked. "Going to take Clara somewhere nice to make up for those guards?"

The Doctor nodded.

"We heard about a planet of Souffle' a while back, and she's been begging to go."

"Sounds nice" said River, nuzzling at his neck.

"Should be" He tilted his head to give her better access.

"But, we are Time Travelers.." She left a trail of kisses down his throat.

"We are.."

"And neither of us have to leave right away.."

"No.."

"And Clara's left us alone.."

"Yes.. Oh!" The Doctor blushed. "That was a hint, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Dear" River chuckled. She'd teach him eventually.

"Right!" He grinned like a cheeky Schoolboy, grabbing his Wife's hand and running through the TARDIS halls. "Come along, Professor Song!"

* * *

Needless to say, River was in a rather good mood when she headed to her Parent's House later. She arrived at precisely the moment Rory rounded the corner at the opposite end of the street, just returning from Work.

"Hello, Daddy!" She called, waving cheerily.

"River!" He ran the last few steps to meet her outside the House. "Here, let me take your bag.."

She almost objected, but then had a sudden image in her mind of Daddies carrying their little girl's heavy Schoolbags, and let him take it.

"Thank you."

"No problem. How have you been?"

"Very well, you'll be happy to know."

"I am. And The Doctor?"

"He's good too."

"Good" said Rory as they stepped inside the House. "Amy, River's here!"

"Hello!" They heard her call from further inside. "Oh, watch where you're stepping!"

"Watch where I'm stepping?" asked River, confused.

Rory grinned, pointing as Anthony crawled towards them.

Well, that explained it. She wouldn't want to crush his little fingers. Anthony had only just started crawling last time River visited, a hand or knee often slipping out from under him. He seemed like a Pro now.

Upon seeing both River and Rory, the little boy froze and whimpered, not knowing who to crawl to.

River was about to speak, steer him towards Rory, but her Father beat her to it.

"Go to River, Anthony" He told him. "She doesn't get to see you as much as I do."

Anthony babbled happily (They all swore he was saying almost words already, and being part Time-Lord, he very well might have), and crawled towards River, tugging on the bottom of her pants when he reached her.

"Hello, Little Prince" River grinned as she scooped her son up in her arms and showered his little face in kisses, making him squeal with joy. "Look at you, crawling so well!"

He smiled, showing off his now almost full set of teeth, and River felt herself falling in love with him all over again, just like she did every time she saw him.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Rory smiling.

"Thank you."

"What for?" Rory shrugged. "I wait until the end of the day to see him. You wait weeks."

"Well, I wouldn't want to wear out my welcome by showing up too often.."

"That would _never _happen!" Amy appeared from the Kitchen, hands on her hips and wearing an apron splattered with various foodstuffs, shocked that her daughter could even think her last sentence. "What, you think we've forgotten you're our firstborn just because we have him?" She gestured to Anthony. "We haven't. You're our _daughter_, we love you, and you are always welcome in this House, Melody, _always_. If we've ever done anything to make you think you're not.

"Oh no, never!" said River quickly. "It's just.." She gazed down at Anthony, who emitted a happy sigh as he snuggled closer against her. "Sometimes he looks at me, like.. Like he _knows_.." There was no need to elaborate on what it was he may have known. "But you're his Parents, you have to be, And I know he still loves the two of you anyway, I see how you all are together.. I just don't want to confuse him by being around too much."

After a few moments of thoughtful silence, Rory spoke.

"Okay, maybe we don't know exactly who Anthony thinks you are. It doesn't matter.. It doesn't" He repeated, when River opened her mouth. "Whoever you are to him, he loves you. You love him. Your Mother and I love you both." He pulled River into a hug.

Amy quickly joined in, all of them being careful not to squish Anthony, who, bored by all the grown up talk, had dozed off in River's arms.

"We're a family. Maybe not the most conventional one, but hey, we've been through some pretty unconventional life experiences."

"We have" River agreed with a smile.

"And we'd never say no to our daughter visiting more often.." Amy hinted.

"I'll see what I can do" River chuckled.

"Good."

* * *

River reappeared aboard the TARDIS, humming happily to herself, when she noticed something in her bag.

"Oops, I forgot to give Anthony his shirt!" She gasped in mock despair, then grinned. "Oh well, guess I'll just have to pop back there Tomorrow, won't I Old girl?"

The TARDIS hummed in agreement.

At that moment, The Doctor and Clara burst inside, covered head to toe in what looked like cake batter and crumbs, The Doctor working madly at his ship's controls for the second time that day.

"So.. Souffles?" River raised an eyebrow, struggling not to laugh.

"They tried to eat us" The Doctor replied.


	7. Christmas Magic, Pt 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

River Song had never been a great fan of Christmas. She wasn't a Scrooge or anything, the Holiday just didn't excite her as much as some people. This was probably because, for most people, the magic around Christmas was sparked in them as a child, just another element that the 'childhood' of Melody Pond had lacked.

Mels' foster parents had never really made much of an effort with it either. The only Christmas she'd ever remembered enjoying in that incarnation was when she was about twelve, and her Foster Parents went away with out her. She'd spent it with The Ponds, and Amy had 'accidentally' spilled the whole gravy boat on her Aunt Sharon after the woman made a snide comment about the 'Raggedy Doctor'.

Now, as River Song, she'd figured that since the Holiday had never mattered much to her before, why should it now? Oh, she still got little presents for Amy and Rory, and always made sure to spend some time with her Parents on the day, though that was for their benefit rather than hers.

But this Christmas was special, being that it was her Son's very first. They say that Christmas is at it's most magical when you are a a child, and becomes so again when you have your own children. Seeing now ten-month old Anthony's big blue-green eyes light up as he watched Amy and Rory decorating the tree on her last visit, River had to say that she was finding it a lot easier to get into the festive spirit.

She was planning to spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her family (Minus one important member, she thought sadly), So was spending the evening of the 23rd wrapping presents to take with her, even whistling a few carols as she did so.

However, she was distracted from her work when, with a familiar weezing and groaning, the TARDIS appeared in her living room, The Doctor bursting out of it barely seconds afterward, a Santa Claus hat atop his head.

"Merry Christmas, River Song!" He greeted, a goofy grin, which their son had inherited, plastered over his face.

"Merry Christmas, Sweetie" River smiled, standing up to give him a kiss hello. When she remained silent afterwards, her Husband cleared his throat and began fiddling with his hat. River rolled her eyes. "Alright. What in Heaven's name have you got on your head?"

"It's a Santa Hat" The Doctor replied, smile widening. "I wear a Santa hat now. Santa hats are cool." He gasped, gripping it protectively. "Please don't shoot it."

"Oh, I think I'll let you keep this one" River chuckled, reaching out to straighten it from when he'd pulled the hat slightly askew in his fear for it's life. "As long as you promise to only wear it at Christmas time."

"Yay! It can always be Christmas time for me if I want it.."

"Doctor" River gave him a warning look. "I can still change my mind.."

"Okay, okay, I'll only wear it around your once-a-year human Christmas" He sighed.

"Good."

After a few moments, The Doctor pulled her closer for a hug, dropping a kiss into her golden curls.

"I'm so glad you're still here. I was worried I might have missed you."

"Missed me?" River quirked an eyebrow, confused.

"Mmhm. I didn't know when you were heading off for Christmas with the Ponds.."

"Ah. Tomorrow Morning" River replied. "I've just been wrapping presents.."

"Me too!" said The Doctor excitedly. He grabbed River's hand and tugged her towards the TARDIS. "Come see!"

The inside of the Time Ship looked like a Christmas bomb had hit it. It was completely over-decorated, everything covered in tinsel, baubles, and various other decorations. The floor was covered in scrunched up wrapping paper, and River had to be careful not to step on the messily wrapped gifts hidden amongst it. She laid a comforting hand on the TARDIS console, and it made a sound somewhat like a long-suffering sigh.

"Sweetie" River forced a smile. "Did you do all this by yourself?"

"Yes" He replied, beaming. "Dropped Clara home a few days ago."

Of course, River thought. His current companion never would have let him go this overboard if she'd been there.

"Isn't this a little too much?"

"No. Now where's your present?" The Doctor began rummaging through the paper. "It's really the reason I'm here, since I know I'm not going to see you Christmas Day.. Ah, there it is!" He picked up a small parcel and handed it to River, rocking on his heels excitedly. "Open it, it!"

"Aren't I supposed to wait until Christmas Morning?" She teased.

"River!" The Doctor whined.

"Alright, alright, I'll open it!" She chuckled. River tore away the wrapping to uncover a small jewelry case, which she then opened to reveal a beautiful heart-shaped silver locket, with the Gallifreyan word for 'Family' engraved on the outside. She carefully lifted it from its case and gently pried it open. One side contained a locket-sized version of the photo of herself, The Doctor, and Anthony that they'd taken the day he was born, and the other held a picture of her Parents.

"So you can have us close to your hearts always" The Doctor whispered, sounding just the tiniest bit nervous. "Do you like it?"

"Oh Sweetie, I love it!" said River, beaming. "Help me put it on!"

"Sure!" The Doctor smiled, glad that she had liked her present. He took the locket and stood behind his Wife to loop the chain around her neck. "Um, could you just hold your hair out of the way for a second?"

"Alright..

The Doctor fumbled with the clasp for a few moments, tongue poking out in concentration, before managing to fasten it around River's neck.

"There we go!"

"Thank you, Sweetie" River smiled, turning to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too" He replied, before bouncing off again in search of something else. "Let me show you what I've got for The Prince Of Cool Bowties!"

River chuckled, shaking her head at her 900-year old man child as he briefly disappeared.

The Doctor soon returned with a bundle of little knitted toys, all of which looked very familiar.

"I haven't wrapped them yet because I wanted to show you first" He grinned. "Cute, huh?"

"They're adorable!" cried River as she grabbed one, a small woolen clone of The Doctor, complete with bowtie and fez, to inspect it closer. "How did you.."

"I had Clara make them" The Doctor explained, holding out the other toys so his Wife could get a better look.

An Amy doll with the perfect shade of flaming red hair. Rory, sporting a prominent nose that made River chuckle. River herself, with wild curls, a gun holster (No gun though, that would have been inappropriate for a child), and what looked like a miniature version of her diary peeking out of its pocket. A little woolen TARDIS completed the set.

"Do you think The Prince will like them? I didn't know what else to get him. Well, I had a few ideas, but I realized most of them weren't child friendly. And I don't know what things Sexy already has stashed away.."

"Sexy?" River raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" The Doctor replied, nodding. Haven't you noticed how baby toys keep magically appearing in the Console Room whenever you're about to go visit him?"

"I have" River replied, smiling. "She's just spoiling him like any Grandmother would."

"Grandmother? Oh, well, I guess she is.."

"Mmhm. And as for Anthony's present, of course he'll like them" River continued, holding up the little woolen Doctor. "Especially this one."

"That one?" The larger, not so wooly Doctor asked.

"Oh, yes. You're already his Hero, Sweetie. You should see his little face light up when we tell him stories."

"Really?" The Doctor beamed.

"Really" River grinned back.

The Doctor set the toys aside, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around River's waist.

"About ten human-months old now, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Oh, special age for Time-babies" He smiled.

"How so?" asked River, curious.

"He should start walking, and talking about now. We hit those milestones just a little earlier than humans, us Time-Lords" The Doctor replied, a proud twinkle in his eye.

"Well, I do seem to remember reading Shakespeare at age three.." River mused.

"And once he does say that first word, watch out, you'll never shut him up!" The Doctor continued. "Time-Baby brains are like super absorbent sponges. The Prince will be repeating nearly every word he hears.." He trailed off, face paling slightly. "Do ask Amy to try not to swear in front of him.

"Doctor, Amy barely let's herself swear in front of _me_" River laughed. "You don't have to worry about Anthony."

"Good." He pulled her closer, dropping his forehead to rest against hers.. "Give him a big 'Merry Christmas' from me, will you?"

"Of course."

"And tell him.. Tell all of them.. That I love them?"

River's hearts ached for him, not being able to see his family at Christmas. Or ever. Like so many things, it hurt him more than he'd ever admit. River Song hated seeing Her Doctor hurt, which was why she felt compelled to make her next suggestion, despite more or less knowing what his response would be.

"You could tell them yourself. We'll just park the TARDIS somewhere safe and use my Vortex Manipulator too.."

"No."

"The chances that anything would.."

"I said no!" The Doctor snapped. River tensed in his arms, and guilt washed over him. "I'm sorry." He drew his Wife even closer, clutching her tightly against him and pressing another kiss into her curls. "I shouldn't have snapped."

"There's more to this that you're not telling me, isn't there?" River laid her head against The Doctor's chest and listened to the dual beat of his hearts, sensing that he needed the closeness.

"Well.."

"Spoilers?" River sighed.

"No" The Doctor replied. "No. It's just.. You gave up your regenerations, River. You gave them up for me, and I'm grateful, really. But it means.. It means.." He took a shaky breath. "One day I'm going to lose you, and our Son will be all I have.."

"Doctor, you know that's not true" said River, lifting her head reaching up to stroke his cheek. "You have so many friends who love.."

"Of _you_, River" The Doctor cut her off. "He'll be all I have of you. I can't risk losing him, I can't.."

"Oh, Sweetie.." Tears welled in River's eyes as she cupped his face and pulled him down for a kiss. "I still age like a Time-Lord. Yes, you will lose me, I can't argue that. I _can_ tell you that that day shouldn't come for a good long while.."

"But it _will _come" said The Doctor, a lump in his throat. Unbeknownst to River, it would probably come sooner than either of them would like. It would feel too soon, whenever it was.

They stood in silence, clinging to each other.

"Would you like me to stay for a while?" River asked eventually.

"You don't have to" The Doctor replied, relinquishing his grip on her. "I know you're busy, wrapping presents and such.."

"I can bring them in here. And help you tidy up a little. No offence Sweetie, but it's kind of a mess in here.."

"If you really want to.."

"Of course I do" River smiled, turning around and heading for the exit. "Back in a tick!"

"Alright.. River?" The Doctor called after her.

"Yes?" She replied, looking back over her shoulder.

"I love you."

"Love you too, Sweetie" River grinned, blowing him a kiss.

The Doctor watched his Wife disappear through the TARDIS doors, unable to help the small smile that spread across his face. River Song's fatal trip to the Library was coming. But not Today. Or Tomorrow. Maybe not for years. All he could do in the meantime was cherish the days he spent with her.

* * *

AN: Next chap is River's Christmas with the Ponds. Please review!


	8. Christmas Magic, Pt 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" yelled Amy and Rory excitedly, throwing the door open a minute or two after River had knocked. Amy was holding Anthony who gave a little squeal of joy when he saw their visitor.

"Merry Christmas" River smiled back.

"Say 'Merry Christmas' to River, Anthony!" Amy cooed, handing him over. "Go on, you can do it!" When the little boy simply unleashed a stream of unintelligible baby babble, she let out a small groan of frustration. "He almost had it earlier, I swear!"

"Amy, we went over this" Rory sighed. "It's a little too early for him to be speaking.."

"Actually" said River, kissing her son's curly head as she stepped inside, "The Doctor says he should start talking any time now. And walking. Ten months is an eventful age for Time-Lords, apparently."

"See, I told you!" Amy grinned, lightly punching Rory's arm.

"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing the affected area.

"Don't feel too bad though, Daddy Dear" said River, shifting Anthony into one arm and hugging her Father with the other. "I didn't know that about Time-Lord children until Yesterday, and I was one.."

"Oi!" Amy pouted. "Where's my hug?"

"Sorry, Mum" River chuckled, moving to hug Amy too.

* * *

As River looked around the House, Anthony babbling away in her lap, she couldn't help the smile that spread over her face. While they hadn't gone completely overboard like The Doctor, The Williams Residence was much more elaborately decorated than many other houses in the street would have been. Their Christmas Dinner, some of which currently lay spread on the Kitchen Counter, Amy pre-preparing things to save time Tomorrow, was also rather impressive for a middle class family of their current Time.

This was because, well, they had a slightly higher income than an average middle-class family. Despite their arguments that they didn't need it, that they 'Managed', River left them money on her visits. Neither Amy nor Rory would willingly take it of course, so she had to hide it in places that were easy to stumble across, but most likely wouldn't be found until after she'd left, like Anthony's room, Amy's underwear drawer, one of Rory's shoes.. And since they had no way of contacting her between visits to try and give the money back, they had no choice but to keep it. River Song didn't want her family to just 'manage', she wanted them to thrive. This way, they did.

While she chatted away to Rory, Anthony grasped at the locket around her neck.

"Careful, Little Prince" She smiled. "That's River's Christmas present from The Doctor."

"Ooh, let me see!" cried Amy, wiping her fingers on her apron and rushing over. She gently eased the locket from Anthony's grip. "It's beautiful! Uh.. That's Gallifreyan writing, isn't it?"

"Yes" River replied. "It says 'family', because when I open it.." She flipped the locket open, revealing the pictures inside. "The people I love most are always close to my hearts." Anthony snuggled closer to her, and she stroked his hair, smiling.

"Rory, come see!" Amy beckoned her Husband over.

"Oh, wow. Was that.." He pointed at the picture of The Doctor, River, and Anthony.

"Taken the day he was born, yes" said River, nodding. "Just a few minutes before I brought him to you. The Doctor keeps a framed copy of this picture on the TARDIS console."

"And it hasn't fallen or smashed or anything?" asked Amy, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," River admitted, "It probably would have if the Old Girl hadn't fused it to herself."

"That sounds about right" Rory chuckled.

"Could we get a copy of that?" Amy asked. "We don't have any pictures of The Doctor, so Anthony's only really seen him in the painting on his wall.."

"He might ask questions.." River gestured to the baby in her lap, sounding a little uncertain.

"We already tell him that you brought him here because The Doctor chose us to be his Mummy and Daddy" Amy explained.

"It should be fine" Rory agreed.

"Alright, I'll bring one next time" said River. "And maybe a few others. The Doctor does love fooling around on camera.."

"What kind of 'fooling around'?" Amy frowned.

"Not everything I say is an innuendo, Mummy" River smirked, covering Anthony's ears, "Although now that you mention it, there was _one _time.."

"Oh no" Rory shook his head, covering his own ears and leaving the room. "I do _not _need to hear this.."

* * *

That evening, after they had eaten, and given Anthony his bath, and set out milk and Jammy Dodgers for Santa (Amy had had River bring her a packet or two to put away, just in case), the little boy gave a large yawn.

"Oh dear, somebody's tired" River chuckled.

"There's just one more thing before we put him to bed" said Amy, setting Anthony down in front of the Christmas tree, with his presents, including the ones River had brought with her, spread out around it. Well, except the ones from 'Santa', hidden in a cupboard upstairs. "My Parents always let me open one present on Christmas Eve."

"Go on, little guy, pick one, any one you want" said Rory, smiling encouragingly.

Anthony crawled over to the rather generous pile of gifts. The three adults watching him gasped as he hauled himself to his feet for a moment to reach the present he wanted, wondering if he was about to take his first steps, but he soon toppled back onto his little butt, clutching a parcel River recognized as one of the woolen dolls. After some minor assistance from Rory, Anthony managed to get it open, squealing with joy at the miniature wool Doctor he found inside. He was especially excited by one thing in particular.

"Bowtie!" He cried gleefully, pointing at little wooly Doctor's neck. "Bowtie!"

"His first word" Rory whispered, after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Oh, come on!" Amy frowned, sounding annoyed. "Bowtie. Really. I've been repeating 'Mummy', 'Daddy', 'Santa', 'Christmas' at you for weeks, and then _bowtie_? That's what your going with?"

"Bowties coo'" said Anthony seriously, a Scottish lilt in his newfound voice.

River burst out laughing, sweeping her son into her arms and showering him with kisses. The Doctor would be so proud.

"He does have your accent" Rory pointed out to Amy, who still seemed mildly peeved.

"He does, doesn't he?" Amy's expression softened. "Oh! Rory, we'll have to update the you-know-whats before tomorrow."

"'You-know-whats'?" asked River, raising an eyebrow. "What 'you-know-whats'?"

Amy grinned wickedly.

"Spoilers."

"You've been waiting for an excuse to pull that one on me, haven't you?"

"Yep."

* * *

Later that night, after Anthony had been put to bed, and her Parents, planning an early start the next morning, had turned in also, River Song sat in her room, writing in her Diary.

The room was painted TARDIS blue, and fully furnished with a Queen-size bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and the desk she was currently writing on. Pictures of Anthony adorned the walls. While River didn't stay overnight all that often, her Parents wanted her to be completely comfortable when she did.

Just as River finished up, Anthony started crying. Not just normal cranky baby crying, either. He was _screaming_. Usually, River would just let Amy or Rory fetch him, not wanting to overstep any boundaries.

But.. Anthony had been sleeping through the night for Months now. He wouldn't have just started screaming for no good reason. Somehow, River sensed that she was the one he needed. So quickly, before her Parents woke, she slipped a robe on over her nightgown and crept down the hall to the Nursery.

* * *

Anthony was standing in his crib (he had outgrown the Doctor's cot, now used as a toybox), face tear-streaked and red from screaming. When he saw River, he looked almost relieved, stretching his little arms out towards her, one hand gripping a familiar scarf.

"Hey" River scooped the little boy into her arms, holding him close. "Hey Little Prince, what's the matter?" She checked him over, trying to find the source of his distress. This wasn't his hungry cry, which she had come to recognize throughout her visits. He hadn't soiled his nappy, or injured himself in any way. No fever or other sign of illness. That left one option. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Anthony whimpered, burying his little face in River's chest.

"Aww. Well don't worry, they can't hurt you now. Mu.." She caught herself just in time. "River's here. River's got you."

"Rivvy.."

"What?" River froze, unsure of what she had heard.

"Rivvy" He repeated, snuggling even closer.

"Alright, then" River smiled, her heart swelling with joy. "I can be Rivvy." She paced the room, rubbing circles on her son's back, and whispering words of comfort as his cries faded to soft whimpers, and eventually quieted altogether. When his eyes began to drift shut, seemingly falling back to sleep, River moved to return him to his crib.

Anthony's eyes shot open and his wailing resumed. He dropped his scarf so he could grasp River's robe with both hands and looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes, as if begging her not to leave him. Just like The Doctor when he had nightmares.

River's heart broke.

"Shh, shh, it's okay" She gently bounced him, kissing the top of his head. "I'm not going anywhere. How about you come sleep with me, hey Little Prince? Want to have a little sleepover with Rivvy?"

"Rivvy" He sniffled.

She took that as a yes.

"Alright then, we'll just grab your scarf.." She stooped to pick it up. "And um, anything else you need?"

Anthony pointed at his crib.

"We can't take your whole crib to my room.."

Anthony shook his head, and pointed again. When River still looked confused, he managed to utter his third word. Time-Babies really were little motor-mouths once they got going.

"D-Docta."

River beamed.

"Okay" River smiled, scooping up the little woolen replica of her Husband as they passed. "The Doctor can come too."

* * *

River headed back to her room and climbed into bed with Anthony curled up on her chest, just like in those few precious hours she'd had with him as a newborn. She stroked his hair, as she sometimes did for his Father to soothe him when he had trouble sleeping.

Anthony snuffled, the last remnants of his earlier tears, and squirmed for a bit until he got comfortable, eventually drifting off to sleep.

River lay awake, watching him, savoring her chance to be his Mother, if only for a little while.

Motherhood wasn't something she'd ever thought she wanted. Or more accurately, something she'd never let herself want, especially once she'd learned the truth of her own childhood, and knew the danger any child of hers would be in by simply existing.

She did remember vaguely, in a time before River Song, when people with faces she couldn't remember had encouraged her to 'breed'. Later, as River, when she had realized why, the idea made her blood run cold. The Silence would have loved to have another Time-Lord hybrid under their control. River decided she wasn't going to let that happen, and for a long time, she didn't. She was careful.

Until she wasn't. Before the heartbreaking events in Manhattan, River hadn't seen _her _Doctor for quite a while. She'd let certain things slip, and as a result, the beautiful accident that was their son was conceived.

River had been so afraid. For herself, for the child now growing within her. And just as afraid _of _the child, because oh boy, aside from everything else, she had absolutely no idea how to be a Mother. The worst part was, she had nobody to talk to about it. Her parents were just beginning to build their new life at the time, and The Doctor, still grieving the loss of his precious Ponds the last she'd seen of him, was not in the right frame of mind to deal with impending Fatherhood. He was a mess.

_She _was a mess. But then The Doctor, an older one, had shown up. He'd hugged River, and kissed her tummy, and told her everything was going to be okay. Then he'd taken her back to the Med Bay in the TARDIS, and checked her over, and done an Ultrasound.. Got the machine just for her, he'd said. River saw their baby, heard the fluttery beat of his tiny hearts.. And fell completely in love. Oh, she was still scared as all Hell. But The Doctor had the biggest smile on his face, and the idea of a little person in the world who was half her, and half him, and maybe a little of her parents, seemed more good than bad.

In an attempt to keep her at least mostly safe, but give her the opportunity to involve herself in a few small adventures so she didn't go completely stir-crazy in the months to come, The Doctor had taken River to stay with one of his very best and most trusted friends, Sarah Jane Smith.

Sarah Jane had been a little shocked when The Doctor had introduced River as his (Pregnant!)Wife, but was more than willing to help. After the few minor hiccups that always came with getting to know a person, she and River grew to become very good friends. And her adopted children, little Sky, and Luke when he was Home, were Sweethearts. She really should visit them soon, River thought.

Anthony squirmed again, but didn't wake.

As River's baby had grown within her, recognizing her voice and kicking against her hand, so had her love for him. She'd known he was a boy, don't ask her how.

When she'd held her son for the first time, she knew that she'd never loved anything more (The Doctor was a different kind of love).

Giving him away was by far the hardest thing she had ever had to do. But it would have been harder to keep him and face the likely possibility of something terrible happening to him, as had happened to her.

River continued to stroke Anthony's hair. It hurt sometimes, but she knew that she and The Doctor had made the right decision. Their son was safe here, and so, so loved. There were no better Parents than Amy and Rory.

And she, well, she was his Rivvy. For now at least, that had to be enough.

* * *

AN: Okay, this chapter came out way longer than I intended, so the rest of Christmas will be in the next Chapter. If you enjoyed, please review. Thanks!


	9. Christmas Magic, Pt 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Anthon.. Oh no!" cried Rory in panic when he entered the Nursery and found his son absent. "Amy, Anthony's gone! Wake River, get her to call The Doctor and.."

"He's fine, Stupid Face" Amy laughed quietly from her spot down the Hall, peeking into River's room. "Come here."

The confused Rory did as he was told, joining Amy and looking into the room to see River with Anthony snuggled up on her chest, both sleeping soundly.

"How did you.."

"Anthony woke up crying last night" Amy explained. "Must have had a nightmare or something."

"And we didn't hear him?" Rory frowned, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the subjects of their conversation.

"_You _didn't hear him" Amy corrected, poking him in the chest. "I did, but by the time I'd woken up enough, River was already there, so I left it. She needs her time with him."

"And you're okay?"

"How can I not be?" said Amy softly as she looked back through the door, a small smile crossing her face. "They're beautiful together. Our babies."

"They are" Rory agreed, smiling himself. "Should we wake them for Christmas?"

"Not quite yet" Amy's smile morphed into a cheeky grin. "Go get the camera." On her second visit, when Anthony was just shy of four months old, River had gifted them with an old but fully operational Polaroid Camera, so they could take their own photos without having to wait for her to print them.

Rory nodded, heading off.

"And Rory" Amy added as he reached the top of the stairs, "You did remember to sip the milk and take a bite out of one of the biscuits, didn't you?"

"Uh.."

"Go do it!" Amy cried in panic at his less than encouraging answer. "I'm not having our son's first Christmas ruined because Santa forgot to eat his Jammy Dodgers!"

* * *

After Rory had performed his Santa duties and returned with the camera, Amy took a few snaps of the sleeping River and Anthony, before deciding it was time to wake them up.

"River.." said Amy, gently shaking her daughter's shoulder.

"Anthony.." Rory tried to coax the little boy awake.

"Wakey wakey.."

Once they began to stir, Amy and Rory enacted the next part of their plan.

"Merry Christmas!" They yelled in unison.

They ended up regretting this almost immediately, as neither River nor Anthony were quite awake enough, and so were startled, Anthony beginning to cry and River shielding him with one arm while reaching for her hidden Blaster with the other, before realizing it was only her parents.

"Oh, Morning" She smiled, mildly embarrassed. "Um, Merry Christmas. It's okay Anthony, it was just Mummy and Daddy, see?"

Anthony lifted his head from where he'd buried it against River's chest to check that she was telling the truth, then crawled out of her lap and over the bed towards them, grinning.

"Mummy! Daddy!"

"Oh my God" Rory gasped. "Did he.."

The rest of Rory's sentence was cut off when Amy let out an earsplitting squeal, sweeping Anthony into her arms. She and Rory made the biggest fuss over him, kissing him and cuddling him, and wishing him Merry Christmas. River stayed back, content to let them have their moment as she had had hers the night before. But then Anthony twisted in Amy's grasp.

"Rivvy!" He made what looked like a 'come here' gesture with his little arm. "Rivvy!"

"Yes, River needs to be in the cuddle too" Amy beamed. "Get over here, you."

"If you insist" River smiled, climbing out of bed and joining the family hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"Kismas!" Anthony cooed, clapping his little hands.

"Whoa, you're turning into a real chatterbox today, aren't you Little guy?" Rory chuckled, reaching over to ruffle his curly hair.

"Daddy!"

"We'll have to add this, too" said Amy.

"Definitely" Rory replied.

"Add what to what?" River asked.

"Spoilers" Amy smirked.

"Now I know how the Doctor feels.." River grumbled.

* * *

Soon, they all headed downstairs, pausing to check for evidence of Santa's visit, before letting Anthony open his presents. He'd been very spoiled, receiving piles of toys, and new clothes. He squealed with joy at his 'Mummy', 'Daddy', and 'Rivvy' dolls.

"Those are adorable" said Amy, watching as Anthony happily set 'Rivvy' beside 'Docta'. "Did you.."

"Oh, no" said River quickly. "I can't knit to save my life. The Doctor had Clara make them. She's very handy with that type of thing."

"You'll have to thank them both for us" said Rory.

"Will do" River nodded.

"Anthony's done now, isn't he?" Amy asked.

"Yes" Rory replied, retrieving a rectangular parcel, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a Tardis blue ribbon, from under the tree, and placing it in his daughter's lap, a large smile on his face. "This is for you. Merry Christmas, River.

"Oh, you two" River laughed as she loosened the ribbon, "I told you not to get me anything.."

"Technically, this is for you _and _The Doctor" Amy grinned. "Besides that, we already had it before you told us not to get you anything."

While River focused on opening her present, and Amy and Rory whether she liked it, Anthony was repeatedly tossing his little woolen TARDIS into the air, making 'vorp vorp!' sounds as he did so. As mentioned before, Time-Lord babies a very advanced.

River tore away the wrapping paper to reveal a large, TARDIS-blue book.

"It's a Baby Book" Rory explained, as River turned the pages to reveal pictures of Anthony, with dates and captions such as 'First Laugh' and 'First Tooth', in either Amy or Rory's handwriting. "You know, for recording milestones. We've been keeping two for Anthony. One for us, and one for You."

"We thought you could bring it with you when you visit, and we'll update it with anything you miss" said Amy.

"Oh it's wonderful, thank you!" said River as she flipped through the book, fighting back the tears that threatened to form as she looked at all the big moments of her son's life that she'd been unable to witness, and thought of the many more still to come. "The Doctor will love to see all this.."

Anthony, in quite a display of strength for even a Time-Lord child, threw his little TARDIS too high, sending it sailing through the air to land on the as-yet empty page of the Baby Book in River's lap, next to 'Anthony's First Word: Bowtie'.

"Ooh, careful, Little Prince." River picked up the TARDIS, intending to gently toss it back to him.. And froze.

Anthony was standing on shaky legs. Wobbled for a moment, then took his first tiny step.

Amy fumbled with the camera, while Rory rushed off to fetch something.

River had her eyes fixed on her son. She set aside the Baby Book and moved to kneel on the floor a short ways away from Anthony, holding out the woolen TARDIS.

"You want the TARDIS, don't you Anthony? Come on, come get the TARDIS!"

After a few more small steps, the little boy's confidence grew and he sped up, maybe a little too fast, surging across the room and falling into River's waiting arms.

"Rivvy!" Anthony squealed as she swept him into a tight hug. He smiled at her, a tiny mirror image of his Father's mischievous smile, and River found herself wondering if, maybe, he had thrown the toy TARDIS in her direction on purpose so he had an excuse to walk to her specifically, giving her this moment in exchange for the ones she had missed. Or maybe she was reading to much into it and was all just a wonderful coincidence. It was amazing either way.

"Well, that's another one for the book, isn't it?" River grinned, turning to her Parents (His Parents, too. Hmm, that might be a little hard to explain when he got older). "Did you get pictures?"

"Pictures and video" Amy beamed.

"Had to borrow your camera for that, River" said Rory, holding it up. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not" River chuckled. Anthony squirmed in her arms, trying to get his little feet back on the ground. "Oh, off again, are you?" she laughed as she released him. "Alright then. How about you try walking to Mummy this time?"

* * *

A little while later, Rory sat playing with Anthony, watching that he didn't get into anything dangerous with his newfound ability to walk. River was helping Amy with lunch, setting the table while Amy made custard which River assumed was for the plum pudding.

"You need to set one more place" Amy called to her.

River counted the three places, including Anthony's highchair, and frowned in confusion for a moment before realizing what her Mother meant.

"You still.."

"Always have. Always will" Amy replied. "If my old Raggedy Man ever does find a way to come visit us, I won't have him thinking we've forgotten him."

"I'm sure he wouldn't" River smiled, though still grabbed an extra plate and utensils to set the symbolic place next to hers. "Anything else you'd like me to do, Mother?"

"There's some fish fillets in the fridge. Could you cut them into strips for me?"

"Of course" said River as she fetched them, "Although, I didn't think fish was really a part of traditional Christmas fare."

"It's not, usually."

"Mmm. And that custard's not for the pudding, is it?"

"Well, half of it is.."

"I'm making fish fingers, aren't I?" River laughed.

"They don't have frozen ones yet!" snapped Amy, mildly embarrassed.

"Aww, Mummy" River grabbed Amy to kiss her cheek, "He'll be happy to know you're thinking of him."

"Eew, fishy fingers!"

* * *

"You know" said Amy soon after while they were coating their fish fingers in bread crumbs, both looking at Anthony's enraptured face as Rory zoomed the TARDIS around the room, using the woolen dolls to enact one of their adventures. "Anthony seemed to almost speak, or almost walk so many times the last couple of weeks. Then you visit, and he does them both in two days.. I think he must have been waiting for you."

"Does it bother you?" River asked gently.

"What?"

"That he walked for me."

"Why should that bother me?" Amy frowned.

"Well" said River, raising an eyebrow, "There have been a few times now when.."

"Okay, I've had a few sooky moments" Amy admitted. "But I think our little guy has proven he's got more than enough love for all of us."

"He has" River smiled.

"And.. You miss so much already" Amy continued. "We know how that feels, not being able to see your child grow up. So, if Anthony wanted to walk for you, I'm fine with that. More than fine, actually. It's great. I wouldn't want to take that moment away from any Mother, least of all you."

"You're as much his Mother as I am.."

"Uh-huh. I've seen him smile, and laugh, and crawl, and cut his first tooth. This one is _yours_, River, and you never have to feel bad about that, alright?"

"Alright" River smiled. They returned to crumbing fish in comfortable silence. "I walked fairly late, myself" said River after a while.

"Really?" said Amy, trying not to think about how she'd missed those first steps, however late they may have been. "I wonder why? You've never really been the type to fall behind on things." Even as Mels, a troublemaker in the classroom, she had maintained relatively high grades. Probably due, Amy now realized, to her Time-Lord brain.

"Nobody I wanted to walk for, I suppose" River replied. "But I did it eventually.." River left out a part of the story, a fuzzy memory of her infant self taking her first steps towards a holographic image of Amy, only to cry herself hoarse when it wasn't real. Hearing something like that would only upset Amy, and she couldn't do that. Not at Christmas, not when she was just learning to love the Holiday herself.

Amy noticed the change in her demeanor, though. Of course she did. She was her Mother, a bond which, through Anthony, River Song was just beginning to fully understand herself.

"River?"

"Hmm?" She turned to look at Amy's concerned expression.

"Are you alright? You zoned out for a minute there."

"I'm fine."

"You sure?" Amy was unconvinced.

"I am, really" River replied. "Just thinking.."

"Okay. But if you ever need to talk..

"I know" River smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm your Mum" Amy smiled back, giving River's hand a comforting squeeze. "It's my job."

* * *

That afternoon, the Family sat down to enjoy Christmas lunch together, laughing and chatting. The fish fingers and custard remained untouched, sitting near the empty space forever saved for The Doctor. Or they were untouched, until Anthony decided he wanted some.

"Can he?" asked Rory, unsure, as the little boy pointed to the desired food, bouncing excitedly in his highchair.

"I don't see why not" said Amy, as River passed them over. "We just need to cut the fish fingers into smaller pieces." She did so, then set the bowl of custard on the tray of his highchair (River and Rory shared a look, thinking that was asking for trouble, but said nothing), dipped a piece of the fish finger in the custard, and offered it to him.

Anthony chewed it happily, a look of joy on his little face.

It made sense that he liked it, River thought. Aside from the fact that fish fingers and custard were and always would be Her Doctor's favorite food, River herself had experienced overwhelming cravings for them while pregnant. It was testament to Sarah Jane's long association with The Doctor that she had never questioned it.

"You like that, don't you little man?" Amy smiled, setting the plate of remaining pieces of chopped fish finger beside the custard (River and Rory shared another look). "You just dip the fish in the custard. Want to try yourself?"

Anthony grinned. Then, he picked up the fish finger plate and dumped it's entire contents into the bowl of custard, before retrieving them in fistfuls that dripped from his hands, resulting in instant custard-y mess.

"Anthony!"

"Mummy!" He squealed back, smearing custard over his face.

River and Rory had burst out laughing.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Mum" River got out between giggles, "But you were kind of asking for that."

"Definitely" Rory agreed, tears of mirth escaping from his eyes.

* * *

"I was going to give you the fish fingers and custard to take home for The Doctor" said Amy that Evening, as River prepared to leave, "But.." She gestured to Anthony, fresh from a bath, giggling in Rory's arms.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll understand" River laughed.

"We'll make an extra batch next time" Rory suggested.

"Good idea" said River, setting her Vortex Manipulator now to save time when she reached the quiet Alleyway a few Houses down. She couldn't simply VM from the House, in case somebody happened to notice she'd arrived at the Williams' Residence but apparently never left. In a time period when gossip was one of the most common forms of entertainment, River didn't want to make things difficult for her Parents. "Well, I should get moving. I know The Doctor probably found some way to entertain himself, but.. Christmas is different for him, since you."

"Oh.. Tell him we love him, won't you?" Amy asked.

"Of course" River smiled as she gathered her bags. "I'd best be off." She gave Amy, Rory, and Anthony each a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye, River" Rory smiled.

"We love you" added Amy.

"Love you all!" River Song made it out the door and down the first two steps before..

"Luvvu, Rivvy!"

..She turned around and nearly jumped right back up them.

"One more cuddle?"

"Of course" Rory grinned, handing Anthony over.

River hugged her son tight, dropping a kiss into his growing mop of golden curls.

"Rivvy loves you too, Little Prince. Very much. I'll visit again soon, okay?"

* * *

The Doctor wasn't in the Console Room when River arrived, although the TARDIS scanners indicated he was on board, in The Library. She considered calling out and alerting him to her presence, before deciding to surprise him instead. It wouldn't be a great surprise, since he knew she was coming, but still a bit of fun.

River found The Doctor on a couch in The Library, idly twirling in his hands an object she couldn't quite make out. It was the wrong size for the Sonic Screwdriver. Oh well, she's see soon enough. She approached him quietly, grinning.

"Hello, Sweetie."

"River!" The Doctor yelped, quickly shoving the object behind his back. "You're here!"

"I am" River frowned. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"The thing you just put behind your back."

"Thing? What thing? No things here!"

"I just saw it!"

"It's embarrassing.." The Doctor sighed.

"And when has that ever stopped you?" River smirked.

"Oh.. You have to promise you won't laugh" The Doctor pleaded.

"Okay" said River, confused. "I promise."

"Really?" asked The Doctor warily.

"Yes, really" River rolled her eyes.

The Doctor reluctantly revealed the object. It was another little woolen River doll, although unlike Anthony's, this one was holding a little, well, Anthony.

"Yes, I asked Clara to make me a little wooly You" said The Doctor began to ramble. "I was just going to sit it somewhere in my room, so I could think of you and The Prince when I looked at it. But last night I had the most horrible nightmare, and somehow cuddling little wooly You with our little wooly Son made me feel better.. So I've been carrying Little Wooly River and Little Wooly Prince of Cool Bowties around in my pocket all day." He sighed again. "Go on then, laugh."

River smiled and shook her head.

"I'm not going to laugh."

"You're not?"

"No." River sat down in her Husband's lap, dropping her bags on the floor by the couch. "I think it's sweet."

"You do?"

"I do" River smiled, kissing him.

"Well, alright then!" The Doctor grinned, kissing her back.

"It's strange, though" said River, "Anthony had a nightmare too."

"Oh no.. Was he alright?" asked The Doctor, worried.

"I think so. He was just very clingy afterwards" said River. "He wouldn't go back in his crib, so I had to take him into bed with me. What about you?"

The Doctor felt sick as the image of River strapping herself into that computer flashed through his mind.

"Perfectly fine. Don't even remember what it was about." He forced a smile. "How was Christmas with the Ponds?"

"Oh, wonderful!" River knew Her Doctor was lying, but decided to let him be for now. "Anthony loved his presents."

"I'm glad" The Doctor smiled, genuinely this time. "And is he walking and talking now like I said?"

"Did both for the first time while I was there" River beamed.

"Really?" The Doctor asked eagerly. "What was his first word?"

"Bowtie" River smirked.

"Ha!" yelled The Doctor proudly. "That's my boy!"

"Amy and Rory gave us this.." River leaned over to retrieve The Baby Book from her bag.

The Doctor poured through it's pages with her for the next few hours, savoring every image of their precious Prince. He stared, enraptured, at Rory's video of the little Time-Lord's first steps on River's Camera, watching it a countless number of times.

Then, when the TARDIS decided to be cheeky and cause a sprig of Mistletoe to appear above their heads, dangling from a lamp they were sitting next to, The Doctor and River spent another few hours just kissing lazily.

River Song quite liked Christmas now, she decided. She liked it a lot.


	10. Happy Birthday, Little Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

"A year?" said The Doctor in disbelief, turning away from where he'd been fiddling with levers on the TARDIS console.

"A year" River confirmed.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Wow" The Doctor paused, then grinned, wrapping his arms around River's waist. "I can't believe it's been a whole year since you zapped onto the TARDIS all 'Hello Sweetie, I'm Pregnant!"

"I never said that" River smirked. "You worked it out on your own."

"Well, it was fairly obvious" The Doctor teased.

"Are you saying I was fat?" cried River in mock-horror.

"Of course not" The Doctor reached to brush a stray curl out of her face. "You were beautiful, as always."

"Hmm. Even when I was screaming my head off at you, all covered in sweat, and blood, and gunk.."

"Even then" The Doctor nodded, leaning in for a kiss. "And after that, when I saw you holding our son.. Well, I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful than you did at that moment."

"Oh stop it, you're making me blush!" River chuckled. "What about you when you listened to his two little heartbeats? You had the most amazing smile.."

"Well, it's not everyday that a dying Race gets new hope for the future, is it?" The Doctor beamed. "I have plans, River, big plans. There's so many places I want to take him, when he's ready. I'll show our son all of time and space, and he'll be amazing, just like his Mummy.. Well, Mummies."

"And his Daddies." River smiled.

"Mhmm. Lucky boy, inheriting so much amazingness."

"Our Little Prince.."

"Our Little Prince" The Doctor grinned. He let his hands tangle in River's hair (God, he loved her hair), capturing her lips in another passionate kiss.

Somebody cleared their throat, and they turned to see an apron-clad Clara in the doorway, smirking.

The Doctor leapt away from his Wife, blushing furiously. River Song, as always, was shameless.

"Afternoon, Clara dear" She grinned. "Did you need something?"

"Just wanted to tell The Doctor that I finished his order" Clara smiled.

"Order?" River was confused.

"Well, you said you were having trouble finding a birthday cake for Anthony, so I asked Clara to make something special" The Doctor explained.

"Mhmm, one Bowtie-shaped Banana Cake, as requested." Clara grinned cheekily. "Do you want to see it, or would you like me to leave you two alone for a while? It's fine if you do, I have some reading to catch up on.."

"No, no, we'll see the cake" said The Doctor quickly. "River and I were just, um.."

"I know what you were doing, Doctor" Clara laughed. "It's fine. You can kiss your Wife whenever you want.."

"She's right, Sweetie" River grinned.

"I'm just glad I wasn't a few minutes later, like that time I walked in and saw you with your hand up River's.."

"Clara!" The Doctor yelped, his cheeks almost as red as Amy's hair, "I thought we all agreed to never mention that again!"

River just laughed.

* * *

The group soon made their way into the TARDIS' Kitchen. On the bench, as Clara promised, sat a cake shaped like a bowtie, coated in TARDIS-blue frosting, with the words 'Happy 1st Birthday, Anthony' over the top in a lighter blue icing.

"Brilliant!" The Doctor grinned, bouncing excitedly. "Anthony's going to love it! Won't he, River? Won't he love it?"

"Oh, he'll definitely love it" River smiled. Her Husband's joy was contagious. "Thank you, Clara."

They had told her the truth about Anthony a while ago, making her one of the few people in the Universe who knew that The Doctor and River Song had a son. A risk, maybe, but with The Doctor openly gushing over Anthony's achievements and proudly displaying pictures of him all around The TARDIS, the secret had been too difficult to keep. Fortunately, River had grown rather fond of Clara by now, and The Doctor trusted her, which was all the reassurance she needed.

"It was no problem, really" Clara smiled. "Anything for the little Time-Lord. Besides, cakes are easy. It's Souffle's that still give me trouble."

"Still, Thank you" River repeated. She turned to The Doctor, beginning to adjust the settings on her Vortex Manipulator. "I should go. There's a stack of papers I want to get marked before Tomorrow."

"Alright then. Uh.." He looked awkwardly at Clara.

Clara rolled her eyes and sighed, turning her back to them.

The Doctor stole a goodbye kiss.

"I want plenty of pictures" He said, running a hand through his Wife's hair.

"You'll have them" River replied. "I promise."

"And tell them all.."

"That you love them" River smiled. "I know. Always do." She gave him another quick kiss before moving to grab the cake. "Goodbye, Clara. Thanks again."

"Really, it was nothing" Clara turned back, smiling. "Just remember to put it in the fridge so the icing doesn't melt."

"Will do" River looked back to The Doctor. "Can you get the manipulator, Sweetie?"

"Okay" He replied, quickly kissing her forehead as he reached for the button. "Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

So, River zapped back home.. If she could really call this old house 'Home'. She felt more at home aboard the TARDIS or at her parent's place than she ever did here. She put the cake away, and sighed, subconsciously stroking her, by now, once again toned stomach.

Likely because, the year before, on this night, at almost exactly this time, she had felt the first twinge of pain indicating that her baby boy was ready to enter the World. A joyful moment for most women, although River had been, understandably, quite conflicted about it, knowing from the beginning that giving birth meant giving him up. Sure, she knew that he'd be safe and loved with her Parents, and that she'd visit often, but that hadn't made it any easier.

River sighed again, then shook her head, shut the fridge, and set about marking those papers. She needed to be completely free for Tomorrow. Because Tomorrow, on Anthony's Birthday, she belonged to him completely, for as long as he wanted.

* * *

"Rivvy!"

River had barely turned the corner into the right street when she heard the beloved little voice call out, and looked up to see her family standing in their front yard, Anthony in Amy's arms, all waving cheerily at her. She smiled and shifted the cake, which she'd been holding rather awkwardly in her efforts to grip it securely enough to not drop it yet also be able to reach her Vortex Manipulator, into a more comfortable position as she headed down the street towards them.

"Hewo, Rivvy" Anthony greeted, smiling an adorable little smile as she approached.

"When Amy told him you'd be coming soon, he wanted to come out and wait for you" Rory smiled.

"Aww, he did?" Asked River, glowing at the heartwarming information. She held up the cake, grinning. "Hello, Birthday Boy. Look what I've got for you!"

"Bowtie!" He cried excitedly, reaching his little hands out towards it.

"Nuh-uh, that's for later, Little Man" said Amy, pulling him away.

Anthony pouted as they headed inside.

"Great cake" said Rory. "Good thing you brought it, too. Your Mum was going to bake one, but you know she's got a history of.." He gulped when Amy glared at him, "..Baking lovely cakes."

"Don't worry Daddy, I know the truth" River smiled. "I was there, remember?"

"Oh, right" Rory grinned. "Remember when she burnt her cupcakes?"

"Mhmm."

"Or the time she accidentally put salt in her Christmas cookies instead of sugar?"

"That was horrible!" said River. "But most of all, I'll never forget that time, when we were about nine, or you two were, anyway.. And she tried to make a.."

"Fish fingers and Custard cake!" Father and Daughter cried in unison, erupting into fits of laughter.

"Yes, yes, we all know about the bloody Fish fingers and Custard cake" Amy snapped. "It was a disaster, and we all agreed to never ever ever talk about it ever!"

The last part of her sentence sounded so childish that it only made River and Rory laugh more. Anthony joined in.

"Oi, don't you start!" Amy lightly scolded him. "I was nine, I didn't know any better! Everything seems like a good idea when you're nine!"

"That is a good point" Rory mused. At age Nine, Amy had not yet given up hope that The Doctor would come back for her, a fact that had led she, Rory and Mels into a few rather crazy situations.

"And hey!" Amy continued, turning to River, "How old were you then, really? Why didn't you try to stop me from doing something that was obviously such a bad idea?"

"I don't know exactly how old I was then" said River. "Time-travelling so young made it hard to tell. Physically, nine. Mentally, not hat much older. And the reason I didn't try to stop you from making the Fish Fingers and custard cake was because you were hoping it would make The Doctor come back.."

"And you'd have your chance to kill him" Amy huffed, then gasped, wishing she could take it back. Her fiery temper gave her an unfortunate tendency to speak without thinking.

"Actually, no" River sounded hurt. "I knew it wasn't going to work, and your heart was going to get broken again, but I didn't stop you because I didn't want that to happen any sooner than it had to. Biggest flaw in The Silence's plans, actually. That all the training and programming and manipulating in the World didn't stop me from loving my Parents."

"Bad Mummy!" Anthony frowned, yanking Amy's hair. "Rivvy sad!"

"Ow!" Amy yelped, but didn't scold him. It was his Birthday.. And she felt like she deserved it. "Rory, take the cake."

"Huh?" Rory blinked, still in shock at how quickly some light teasing over a childhood baking experiment had become a serious conversation.

"Take the Birthday cake, I need to hug our daughter!"

"Oh" Rory took the cake, allowing Amy to pull River into a one-armed hug.

"I'm sorry, Melody" Amy sighed. "I'm mean when I'm grumpy. Stupid Scottish temper.."

"It's okay, Mum." River hugged her back. "Everyone says stupid things when they're upset."

"But over a cake! And it _was _a terrible cake.."

"Mmm. Horrible sloppy thing as I remember.."

"Yep. It didn't cook properly because I tried to mix the custard into the cake batter.."

"And the fish fingers melted and made everything watery.."

"And there was a slight explosion.." Rory added as he set the cake on the Kitchen bench.

"An absolute mess" River agreed.

"Mum and Dad were furious" Amy continued, a smile spreading over her face. "You two weren't allowed over for weeks!"

They were all laughing now, and since his grown-ups were happy again, Anthony changed from 'Defender of Rivvy' back to regular cheeky baby, reaching out to play with River's hair.

"Oh, silly us" River chuckled, taking him from Amy. "Today's supposed to be about you, isn't it Little Prince?"

"Happy Day!" Anthony cooed.

"Yes, Happy Birthday to you, big one-year old!" River grinned. "Now, what would you like to do on your special day?"

"Bowtie!" He pointed at the cake.

"Uh.. Mummy?"

"We'll have a bit of proper lunch first" Amy smiled. "Then we can try bowtie cake."

* * *

So, they ate Lunch. And as soon as they were finished..

"Bowtie!" cried Anthony, bouncing excitedly in his Highchair. "Bowtie, bowtie!"

"Okay, okay, just be patient!" Amy headed into the Kitchen to retrieve the cake.

Anthony shot her look that said he clearly didn't like being patient.

River couldn't help but laugh. So much of The Doctor was already coming out in him. If she hadn't seen how well her Parents could handle the Time-Lord through their adventures, she might have been worried for them.

Amy returned with the cake, a small candle burning atop it.

_"Happy Birthday to you" _She began as she carried it towards the Table, River and Rory quickly joining in, _"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Anthony, Happy Birthday to you! _Hip hip, hooray!"

Anthony looked at it in awe.

River lifted him out of the highchair and into her lap, holding onto his hands so he couldn't grab at the candle's flame.

"Now you get to blow it out and make a wish" Rory grinned. He was holding River's camera, set to record the moment.

Anthony seemed a little confused.

"Like this, Little Prince." River blew gently, lightly ruffling her son's hair and making him giggle. "Easy! Just aim at the candle."

"Rivvy too?"

"I can help if you like."

"Mummy an' Daddy?"

"Why not?" said Amy happily, moving around the table to squat beside River and Anthony, face level with the candle.

"We'll all do it together" Rory smiled, propping up the camera so it would still record before joining them.

"Everybody ready?" asked River, grinning.

"Ya!" Anthony nodded eagerly.

"Okay then.. 1, 2, 3!"

They all blew, and the candle flickered out.

"Yay!" The adults cheered.

"Yay!" Anthony echoed.

"Did you make a wish?" River asked.

The little Time-Lord nodded excitedly.

"Don't tell anyone" Rory told him. "If you do, it won't come true."

Anthony nodded again, more seriously this time.

"Ooh, careful Mum!" River teased as Amy moved to cut the cake. "If you hit the bottom, our Birthday Boy gets a kiss from the nearest girl!"

"Oops" Amy smirked, making sure the knife audibly clinked against the plate. "And we're equally close to him, too."

"Oh well" River shrugged, then grinned at Amy, both of them swooping in to kiss Anthony's cheeks, making him giggle.

"Do that again!" cried Rory, rushing to grab the cameras. Both River's, and He and Amy's old Polaroid. "I'll get a photo!"

"Well, alright" River chuckled. They swooped in again, and Anthony giggled louder. His Mothers stayed still for a moment, letting Rory get his photos.

"Done!" He smiled.

"Good. Time for cake!" Amy announced.

"Yay!" Anthony cheered again, bouncing in River's lap.

Amy cut pieces for Herself, River, and Rory, along with a smaller piece for Anthony, setting them on plates as she went.

Anthony frowned.

"Docta!" He pointed at the empty plate at the end of the table. "Docta!"

Amy always set the extra place now, thinking, 'What if The Doctor found a way to come visit on a day that wasn't Christmas?'. She usually set two extra places actually, to account for River's visits, since beyond events like Christmas and Birthdays that they knew she'd want to be there for, she had no way of telling her Parents when she was coming.

"Anthony" said Rory gently, "The Doctor can't come."

"He's busy, saving the Universe from bad things" Amy added.

"Docta!" Anthony repeated. "Docta! Rivvy!" He twisted in River's lap and looked up at her with wide eyes that matched her own, as though begging her to understand him. "Rivvy, Docta! Bowtie!"

River's heart broke at the thought she'd have to confirm that The Doctor wasn't coming.. Until she realized what her son meant.

"Oh!" She breathed a sigh of relief. "You just want me to take a piece of Bowtie Cake home for The Doctor, don't you?"

"Ya!" He beamed, pulling himself up to hug her. "Bowtie fo' Docta!"

"Okay" River kissed the top of his head. "Mum, would you mind cutting.."

"Already done" Amy smiled, setting a slice of cake on The Doctor's plate.

* * *

The rest of the day was wonderful. River, Amy, and Rory spent hours playing with Anthony. At the moment, his favorite game was acting out his parents' adventures with the woolen dolls he'd gotten for for Christmas.

It was nice, River thought, to be able to just play, get completely lost in a game, never having to worry about the World's hidden horrors.

Her own childhood, being molded by The Silence into the perfect weapon, had consisted of almost nothing but said hidden horrors.

While her life as Mels had been slightly freer (It had now become rather obvious to Amy and Rory why their friend had always wanted the seemingly uncharacteristic role of the baby when they played 'House'), all that programming still clawed at the edges of her mind, ready to propel her into deadly action at a moment's notice.

"Rivvy!"

In her musings, River failed to notice her son barrelling towards her until a few seconds before he came flying into her lap at full speed, causing her to topple onto her back in surprise. Before Amy or Rory had a chance to scold him, she beamed, and swung Anthony over her head, making him squeal in delight.

Melody Pond had never had a chance to just play, but she'd defend her Little Prince's right to until the ends of the Universe. And, as she saw the little bowtie-wearing doll clutched in Anthony's hand, and heard her Parents flop down on either side of them, both laughing, she was secure in the fact that everyone else who loved him would do the same.

* * *

The day moved into night. Anthony yawned.

"Had a big day, haven't you Birthday Boy?" Amy smiled, scooping him up. "Come on, bedtime."

"Rivvy.." He said through another yawn, pointing.

"Oh. Do you want River to put you to bed?"

Anthony nodded.

Amy turned to her daughter.

"Do you mind.."

"Not if you don't" River replied.

"Of course not" said Amy, handing him over.

Anthony loved both of them, she knew that. And, the more she and Rory had talked about it, the more Amy realized how important it was that their little boy bonded with River. They were human. Anthony was not. He was inevitably going to lose them at an age which would be considered still very young for a Time-Lord. He'd need someone to guide him through the endless Universe he was born to explore, and it was best that this guide be someone he knew and loved, who loved him just as much. That time would be River's chance to be his Mother, though Amy knew she would never downplay the role she and Rory had had in Anthony's life. River would have lost her parents too.

"Okay, then" River smiled, cuddling Anthony to her chest. "Say goodnight to Mummy and Daddy."

"Nigh-nigh.." said Anthony sleepily.

"Goodnight" said Amy, kissing his cheek.

"Goodnight, little guy" said Rory, lightly ruffling his hair. "Hope you had a nice Birthday."

Anthony waved at them over River's shoulder as she carried him upstairs.

* * *

River had watched Amy or Rory putting Anthony to bed enough times by now to know his routine. She changed his nappy, and got him into his pyjamas. She cuddled with him for a while, telling him a story (The tale of how The Doctor and River once got The Queen temporarily turned into a goldfish was his current favorite). Finally, once he had almost completely drifted off, she gave him a kiss, and tucked him into his crib with the familiar old scarf and his little woolen Doctor, neither of which he would now sleep without.

"Rivvy stay?" He mumbled, as his eyelids drooped.

"I can't tonight" River replied, her heart breaking a little. "I have to go see The Doctor. But I can probably come back and play with you for a while Tomorrow afternoon, if you'd like?"

He nodded slowly, using his last little bit of energy before he drifted into the land of dreams.

"It's a date" River smiled, reaching down to run a hand over his golden curls. "Goodnight, Little Prince."

* * *

"Ha ha.. Yay!" The Doctor, through a mouthful of cake, cheered along with the video as he watched them all blow out Anthony's Birthday candle. "You all look like you're having fun. Did you all have fun?"

"Yes, Sweetie" River smiled, snuggling into his side. "Lots of fun."

"Good." He turned back to the video, which had now jumped ahead to when Amy, Rory, and River were playing with their Birthday Boy. The camera had obviously been left rolling somewhere nearby. After a while, The Doctor began to chuckle softly.

"What's so funny?"

"River, You're a Mother!"

"Yes" River raised an eyebrow, confused. "And you're a Father. Have been for a year today."

"I know, I know.. But I mostly get photos, and yes, you've been getting more videos lately, but you're not usually in them because you're the one filming. This one, though, you're in this one, and I can see how you are with him, our Prince. He obviously adores you. It's beautiful." He grinned, leaning in to give his Wife a kiss. "River Song's a Mummy. Never thought I'd be saying that when we first met, I can tell you!"

"I'm still as dangerous as I ever was" River warned.

"Oh, of course. In fact, I think it only makes you more dangerous."

"Really? How so?"

"Well.. You're like a Lioness. A lioness protecting her cub" said The Doctor, kissing her again. "My sexy lioness."

"Mmm. And that would make you The Lion King, I suppose?" River smirked, tilting her head as The Doctor nuzzled at her neck, allowing him to trail kisses down it. Clara was sleeping, so there was no chance they'd be interrupted for at least the next few hours.

"Yes. And you're my Lion Queen" He paused to suck at her pulse point, marking her as his, and River didn't mind, because she was. "All mine."

"All yours" River confirmed with a contented sigh, enjoying her husband's attention. "The Nala to your Simba."

"The Nala to my Simba" The Doctor agreed.


	11. Amy Vs The Gossip Mongers: Round One

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

One sunny Morning, Amelia Williams, formerly Pond, was roused by the sound of her Husband shuffling around the Bedroom retrieving his work clothes. She slowly disentangled herself from the covers, yawning.

"Sorry" Rory winced when he noticed her sitting up. "I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep, I'll be done in a minute."

"No, it's alright" Amy grumbled as she got out of bed, stepping into her slippers and pulling on her dressing gown, "Anthony will be up soon, if he's not already. Could you put the kettle on if you get downstairs before me?"

"Sure."

"Good."

* * *

Amy trudged down the hall, stepped into The Nursery.. And all her her usual Morning grumpiness melted away.

"Mummy!" Anthony stood up in his crib, little wooly Doctor in hand, beaming at her. "Hewo, Mummy!"

Amy felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. She'd never been able to stay grumpy for too long when she saw that cheeky grin, whether it had come from Anthony or her lost best friend whom he so closely resembled.

"Good Morning, Little man" Her smile widened as she lifted him out of the crib. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Ya!" He nodded happily. "Mummy?"

"Yes, Mummy had a nice sleep too" Amy replied.

"Luvvu, Mummy."

"I love you too" Amy smiled, kissing his cheek.

* * *

Rory, guilty for waking his Wife, had gone one better than the kettle. He had Amy's tea ready, just how she liked it.

"Oh, thank you" She said, shifting Anthony to one arm so she could pick up the cup and take a sip. "Sorry I was Miss Grumpy-pants this morning.."

"You're Miss Grumpy-pants _every _morning" Rory teased, giving her a kiss, "But I love you for it. Well, I should be going. Don't want to be late for work." He kissed Amy again, then moved to kiss Anthony's forehead. "Bye, Anthony. You be a good boy for Mummy, okay?"

"Kay-kay. Buh-bye, Daddy!" The little boy waved as Rory headed out the door.

"Have a nice day at work!" Amy called after him.

"I'll try!" He called back.

Amy knew his job was much harder for him here than it had been in their own time. People thought Rory was strange. They looked down on him for nursing, 'A woman's job', and feeling no shame at all in doing it, making no effort to find himself a better, 'manlier' occupation. The gossip followed Amy too, everyone wondering what was 'wrong' with a pretty young thing like her that would have 'forced' her to 'settle' for Rory. There had to be something, she would have much 'better' suitor otherwise.

Oh, Amy wanted to strangle those people. They had no idea that an Angel walked the halls of their local hospital, using not-yet officially discovered methods and medicines to save the lives of many (Mostly children) who would otherwise be dead. Or that that angel's name was Rory Williams. River brought him some of the medicine, and, as a 21st century nurse, Rory new a few simple, but potentially life-saving procedures. He couldn't save everyone, of course, but he did what he could. He made a difference, and no one had any idea.

Rory didn't care, though. Rory didn't really care about what people said about him behind his back, either. He knew the wonderful things he had done, and would continue to do with his life. He knew the kind of man he was. Amy did too, and River, and so would Anthony when he was old enough to really understand those things. Them, his family, theirs were the only opinions that mattered to him. After all he had been through to get to this point in his life, Rory didn't feel the need to justify himself to anyone else.

Which was all well and good for him, but it didn't stop Amy's overwhelming urge to cause serious bodily harm to those who so ignorantly spoke ill of him. Oh well, there was nothing she could do about it now.

"Okay, kiddo" She sat Anthony in his highchair, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"'Nanas!"

"Of course" Amy chuckled. "Alright then, you can have your bananas today."

"Yay!"

Amy stepped into the kitchen to prepare them, and soon returned to feed him.

It was a beautiful Morning, with birds singing, and rays of sunlight shining through the windows. As she spooned mashed banana into Anthony's eagerly waiting mouth, Amy looked around at the pile of previous nights dishes, remembered the growing pile of dirty laundry.. And thought to hell with it, she'd do it later.

"It's much too nice a day to stay cooped up inside, isn't it Little man? How about after breakfast we get dressed and go for a walk in the Park?"

"Yay!"

"I'll take that as a yes, then" Amy smiled.

Little did she know that with this trip to the Park, she would discover another piece of gossip about her Family that had been floating around town.

* * *

"Ooh, look Anthony. There's a little squirrel!" said Amy, pointing, as she pushed Her little boy's pram through the Park.

"Skiwel!" Anthony cooed, clapping his hands.

"He's not the only animal we're going to see today is he?" said Amy. "We're going to the Pond to feed the duckies!"

"Pond?" Anthony sounded confused, then grinned. "Mummy!"

"Very clever of you to notice, but no, not Pond like Mummy's name" Amy laughed. "A different type of pond. This Pond is a place, where ducks live." She pushed the pram around the corner. "And here we are!"

"Yay!" Anthony cheered, pointing to the feathered creatures paddling around the water's edge. "Duckies!"

"Yup. I hope they're hungry" Amy smiled. She reached into her bag to pull out a half loaf of stale bread, then lifted Anthony out of the pram and set him down, before crouching beside him and wrapping one arm around his middle to keep him from straying too close to the water. "Now Little Man, just break off a little piece of bread and throw it in.."

Anthony did as Amy instructed. The ducks swarmed on the bread, and the little boy giggled as he threw another piece.

Amy smiled. The whole Universe was waiting for Anthony to explore when he grew up, but for now, he was completely enthralled with just feeding duckies. Then again, she thought, maybe it wouldn't be all that different. In her time travelling with The Doctor, they had seen countless amazing places, but it had always been the little things, like tinkering with the TARDIS, a new bowtie, or a big bowl of fish fingers and custard, that brought her friend the greatest joy.

"Amelia, dear!"

Amy suppressed a groan at the sound of the voice, instead forcing a smile as she turned to see Mary Brown, the woman who lived a few houses down from she and Rory, her young sons Michael and Thomas trailing behind her.

"Hello, Mary."

Mary considered herself a friend of Amelia Williams. Amelia herself wasn't so sure. Mary was always offering 'helpful' parenting advice, such as using whiskey to soothe a baby's teething, which Amy knew was not really advisable in the future. This wasn't Mary's fault, though. Many things that people did everyday now would become ill-advised in the future. No, the problem was that Mary always seemed to look at Amy like her own personal charity case.

"Hello. Ooh, look at little Anthony, growing up so fast!" Mary grinned. Anthony shrank back closer to Amy. "He must be almost One now, hmm?"

"He was One two months ago" Amy frowned. She fought the urge to scold Michael and Thomas for play-fighting with sticks a short distance away.

"Ah" Mary's grin faded slightly. "Well, seeing as I've run into you, Amelia, I feel I need to ask you something. I've heard gossip, from others, you see, and I thought it best to get it cleared up.."

"What now?" Amy sighed.

"Is Anthony, um.. adopted?"

"No" Amy instinctively tightened her grip on her little boy. Technically he was adopted, but nobody outside of her little unconventional family unit needed to know this information. Besides that, being unable to produce a biological child would be just another reason for people to pity her, and Amy Pond did not want to be pitied by anyone. She'd had enough of that in the version of reality where she'd grown up without Parents. "Why would anyone think that?"

"It's just that nobody seems to remember you being Pregnant" Mary continued. "And, well, not to be rude, but the little fellow doesn't look much like you or dear Rory. His hair, for one.."

"Some people choose to keep pregnancies private" Amy's smiled her sweetest smile. "Curls run in Rory's family, but sometimes they skip a generation. And even if Anthony was adopted, which he's not, it wouldn't be anyone's business but ours. Don't you agree?"

"Oh, of course" now Mary's smile seemed forced. "Like I said, the talk came from others. Well, I should be going. Michael, Thomas!" The two boys rushed to her side, still clutching their sticks. "Goodbye, Amelia."

"Goodbye, Mary" Amy resisted the urge to laugh until the other woman was well out of earshot. Oh yes, she had won this round. Of course, she wasn't to know that her debunking of this rumour would give rise to a worse one in a few years time, that would be a problem for then. For now, she was completely satisfied with her minor victory. Amy Pond 1, Gossip-mongers zero.

"Mummy" Anthony clung to her, his little eyes glaring after Mary as she disappeared around a corner. "My Mummy."

"Yes, your Mummy" said Amy, kissing his curly head. "No-one can take that away from me yet.."


	12. The Nightmare Of River Song

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

River Song found herself creeping through the supposedly abandoned military base at Demon's Run, clutching a whimpering Anthony to her chest. She couldn't remember how they'd got here, but it can't have been anything good. This was absolutely the last place she would ever dream of bringing her son willingly.

"Rivvy.." He whined.

"Shh" River whispered, kissing his head. "Quiet, Little Prince. We don't want anyone to.."

"Hello again, Melody Pond."

The voice made River's blood run cold.

"No.. N-No.. You're dead, My Mother killed you."

"I let her think so" Madame Kovarian grinned wickedly. "You didn't really think that you could hide your little Time-Lord from us forever, did you?"

"You can't have him" River tightened her grip on Anthony as she looked around for means of escape, but The Silence were emerging from the shadows, surrounding them. "I won't let you. I won't let you take him!"

"Oh, Melody" said Kovarian coldly. "You don't have a choice.."

Two Silents seized River on either side.

"No!" She yelled as Kovarian stepped forward, "No, you can't take him! Please don't take him!"

She ignored River's pleas, ripping Anthony from her arms just as she had ripped Baby Melody from Amy's.

"Say Goodbye to Mummy!" She cackled.

"Rivvy!" He screamed.

_"River?"_

"NO!" River struggled helplessly against her captors as Madame Kovarian carried her son away. "ANTHONY!"

"Rivvy!" He wailed.

_"River!"_

"GIVE HIM BACK!" River shrieked. "YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM! GIVE HIM BACK!"

_"River!"_

* * *

"River!" The Doctor sped into their room on the TARDIS, work goggles still atop his head, as he heard his Wife's screams, finding her thrashing about wildly in her sleep. He leapt onto the bed, pulling her against him to try and calm her. "River! River, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"

"Let me go!" She continued to thrash about, until, unfortunately, one of her flailing feet caught The Doctor right in the stomach, sending him tumbling off the bed.

"Oof!"

On the bright side, the loud thump as he hit the floor finally jolted River awake. She bolted upright in a cold sweat. After her mind cleared enough for her to realize where she was and what had happened, her eyes went wide with guilt.

"Oh Doctor, I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

"I'm more worried about you" He replied, standing and rubbing his back before rejoining her on the bed. "That sounded like one Hell of a nightmare."

"I didn't have.." River tried, but the look on Her Doctor's face quickly told her there was no way he was going to believe that. "It's silly. I know it can't happen.."

"People dream about a lot of things that can't really happen. Doesn't matter. It's obviously upset you." The Doctor wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "Tell me."

River drew a shaky breath, giving herself a moment to relax into The Doctor's comforting embrace before replying.

"Kovarian" She murmured eventually. "I dreamed that Madame Kovarian took Anthony. Ripped him from me like I was from my Mother."

"Oh, River" The Doctor sighed, drawing her even closer, "That's not silly at all."

"But she's dead. Dead. She can't hurt me anymore, she can't hurt him.. So why am I still so afraid of her?" She growled. "I hate it!"

"Everyone's afraid of something" The Doctor shrugged, beginning to stroke his Wife's hair. "It makes perfect sense that you're scared of Kovarian. All of the terrible things that happened to you, all of them, started with her taking you from Amy. That fact doesn't change because she's dead."

"I know. But.."

"And, if you'll allow me to go all psycho-analyse-y for a moment" He continued, cutting her off, "I think, in this case, you probably weren't afraid _of_ Kovarian so much as you were afraid _for _Anthony."

"In this case, you'd probably be right" River replied. "I haven't been that scared since I first found out I was pregnant. If anyone ever hurt him the way I was.."

"River, that would never happen" said The Doctor seriously. "Trust me. I'd die a million times before I'd let anyone or anything hurt our son."

"I know that" said River, tilting her head up to kiss him. "I do. And I do trust you. But it doesn't stop me worrying."

"Ah. The joys of Parenthood" The Doctor smiled softly. "Happens to us all."

"Must do. Amy and Rory know I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself, but they still fuss over any little cuts and bruises I have when I visit."

"Mmm."

They fell silent for a while, as The Doctor continued to comfortingly stroke River's hair.

"I need to.."

"See our son. I know."

"Just for peace of mind" said River. "To make absolutely sure he's okay."

"You can, later. For now, I think you need a bit more sleep."

"Funny, Sweetie" River chuckled ruefully. "Probably not going to happen." True, she was tired, but the possibility of another dream like that one was keeping her wide awake.

"Just try" said The Doctor. "I'll stay with you."

"What about the TARDIS?" She pointed at the goggles he still wore, though now slightly askew from his earlier fall.

"Oh, minor adjustments" He removed his goggles, setting them on the bedside table. "Nothing that can't wait 'til Morning, right Old Girl?"

The TARDIS hummed in agreement.

"When did you two start ganging up against me?" River pouted. It was usually the other way around, with the TARDIS and Her Child conspiring against The Doctor.

"We both want what's best for you" The Doctor replied, dropping a kiss into her curls. "You need rest. You're exhausted, we did a lot of running today."

"And who's fault is that, hmm?"

"How was I supposed to know that we'd landed in the middle of a Sontaran war-zone?.. Again."

"Mmhmm. Things like that happen to you a lot, don't they Sweetie?"

"Come on, River" He sighed. "Just lay back against me and close your eyes."

"Okay" River grumbled, reluctantly doing as she was told. "This doesn't mean I'll sleep, though.."

"You are so stubborn" The Doctor chuckled, holding her close. "Very much like your Mother, actually."

"I am?" River asked, lifting her head slightly. She liked finding traits in common with her Parents, even not entirely positive ones. It reminded her that they were part of her, she was their child, and no matter how hard they may have tried, The Silence couldn't change that.

"You are" The Doctor replied. "Now lay back and close your eyes, like I told you."

"I hate you" River huffed, laying her head against her Husband's chest.

"No you don't" He smirked, still running his hand through her untamable hair.

River had to admit, had she not had that terrible nightmare, The Doctor's current actions probably would have put her to sleep. But she had had that nightmare, therefore she couldn't sleep, and instead found herself squirming and fidgeting every few minutes. Until..

A beautiful sound. Somewhat familiar, but it took River a few moments to place it. When she did, she gasped. The Doctor was singing. Singing The Gallifreyan lullaby he'd taught her for Anthony.

"Doctor.."

"Shh."

He continued to sing.

It made River feel drowsy. She gave up fighting it, letting the song wash over her, and finally beginning to doze off.

The Doctor felt his Wife's weary muscles relax, her body becoming a dead weight against him. He smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"Sweet Dreams, My River Song."

* * *

AN: Aww. The next chapter will continue on from this. River visits Anthony after her nightmare, while The Doctor has his own visit to make.


End file.
